House Of Supernatural
by littlequestie1237
Summary: A new girl shows up at the school for a while when Mick is gone. She's a strange, secretive, mysterious Goth with developing questions-but could she also be the one with all the answers? Jerome/OC, Season 1 Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1: New Hell

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A/N: Hola guys! I've been obsessed with HoA and fanfics and everything inbetween for a while now and just decided to make an account a few days ago! Here is the fanfiction I've been planning and writing myself. It's about a girl, Alice, who shows up at the school and stays at the House of Anubis during the time when Mick is gone trying to earn his sports scholarship. She has a mysterious past that she's not willing to share with anybody, and she can't even remember part of it (she doesn't know who her real family was, how she got to the school...ect.). I sort of try to stick to the plotline of the show, which is why I might have to wait it out now and then in a while to see what the new episodes are all about. But at one point I'm gonna have to stray away from the original sort of story and go into my own (which is basically when they all-the original 8 kids, joy possibly, nd alice/OC-find out their supernaturals). I got big inspiration from one of my favorite book series, Darkest Powers, so sorry if they end up sorta sounding the same. And yes Jerome is the main 'love interest' in this story I guess but I will also try and include a lot of other 'couples' from the series (Jara, Fabina, Mick+Amber...ect). R&R please! I'm still in the writing process so I'd accept ideas and constructive criticism. I'd love to hear what you think. =)

Chapter 1

New Hell

I had no idea how I got here. It's like one minute I was back home with the gang, and the next I was pulling up to some fancy-ass British boarding school in a taxi.

I guess I just had a problem with storing memories. Like the fact that I couldn't remember anything from before the point of five years of age. Yes, I know, sounds like a cheesy 'Vampire Knight' rip off right now, but trust me, it's far from. No vamps, no day and night classes, and no supernaturals at all _what-so-ever._

Well, for now, at least.

I suppose I've always been interested in the 'other worldly' type sort of thing. Of course, I never truly believed in it, but something deep inside me has always hoped that things like half-demons and sorcerers and necromancers were alive. But that wasn't true. Uh, _duh, _I wasn't stupid. Sheesh, I was starting to sound like an over-dramatic Robert Pattinson/Taylor Lautner fan-girl.

Not that there was anything wrong with Lautner…but seriously.

No, I was sort of what most people would call "goth", though; dark makeup, dark clothing, dark attitude. But I guess I was also more of a rebel and skater too. Although there was a brighter side to me, but after the incident, I locked it up and hid away the key.

_The incident…_

"Miss, we're here."

"Oh, um," I cleared my throat, nodding slightly, letting my thick, slightly greased over, partially wavy-other half curly dark black hair fall in front of my thin, pale face and large matching colored-eyes. "Thank you."

He nodded back in response as I got out of the cab, tugging my duffel bag covered with punk pins all over it with me.

"No way." I whispered as I stared up at the large house in front of me, feeling almost like I was trapped inside a Harry Potter movie. The theme song waved in to me through my horribly unwanted thoughts and real music blasting from my iTouch. Pulling my usual neutral expression back over my face, I adjusted the strap over my shoulder and headed inside of the old house marked 'Anubis'.

I lightly pushed the door open, muttering "What a weird name" quietly to myself before glancing around the opening-area space. This certainly was an odd house to match the label, too.

The floor was tiled different, stand-out, what I believed to be red and black colors. Slapped over it were a few carpets here and there, and vintage, thin, light olive green curtains hung over the windows at the very end of a long hall slightly to the left side, but still ahead of me. There was a staircase on the right wall leading upstairs and then two ways—what looked like an office with windows large and close enough to peer down at passing roommates and students, and the other to some other part of the house I hadn't seen yet (obviously, considering it was my first time here and I was just taking everything in).

Against the right wall were more long, narrow windows with no covering on it what-so-ever at the moment except for the same ugly-ass green curtains, which was soon starting to look a more puke color to me—but maybe that was just the guts and nerves in my stomach talking to me.

"This definitely is a weird house…" I mused as I finger the weird shaping of some kind of eye in the wooden railing of the staircase.

"Might not wanna do that, dearie." A voice called from across the hall, and I jumped and spun around, ready to attack anything that came closer. A small and plump woman rushed forward, wiping her hands on a napkin before sticking it back in her apron. "Victor, our professional caretaker, probably isn't going to like the new students snooping around the house. We already have Nina and Fabian."

She smiled at me in a motherly-fashion. She had blackish-brown eyes and similar hair pulled back in a ponytail. "I'm Trudy, the housekeeper. Come follow me and I'll show you around the house while introducing you to the other roommates who live here as well."

I tried to smile but couldn't, my past restraining me, and just nodded slightly before following her through the second door on the left. Although I didn't walk all the way through, instead halted at the door, observing the dining room table and the seven fellow teenagers surrounding it. They all paused and looked up at me in the middle of their conversation, and most of their eyes practically popped out of their head at the sight of my outfit.

I was wearing black skinnies with my classic zip-up Converse boots, the top of the laces undone on one of them. An off-the-shoulder black shirt with another black tank top underneath hung on the top of my body, the whole look accessorized with black bracelets, a black choker really meant to be worn around my wrist practically dug into my neck (the little diamond shaped things sticking out around the front of it, just like my belt). Onyx earrings dangled from my pierced earlobes and oscillated as I slowly looked back and forth across the room to see it connected to a living room and kitchen. AKA I was doing anything to avoid their piercing gazes.

"Hello, bad girl Mara is back." I blinked my heavily-gray-pounded-on-eye-shadowed lids and looked back over to the guy who had spoke. He had a mess of dirty-blonde hair swarming around his face and falling in front of his icy blue, electric eyes, outlined by his thin, pale face. His pink lips moved back and forth as he continued eating his food, careful—but not enough—to prevent the sauce resting on the spaghetti from landing on his grayish-light green jeans, puffed-up-collar, light blue shirt, and a slightly matching gray trench-coat-looking-jacket-thing partially covering it.

"Hello, Robert Pattinson wanna-be." I shot back, and everybody instantly burst out laughing as he gritted his teeth and turned his icy glare on me.

"Watch out, Jerome, Aram's out to get you." A short, dark-colored-skinned boy told the first guy (or, 'Jerome', I suppose his name was) who spoke from across the table.

"Aram?" Mostly everybody questioned at the same time.

"Y'know, it's Mara backwards. 'Aram'. Heheh."

Everybody sighed exasperatedly as his lame joke and rolled their eyes, turning back to their food.

"Really, guys, it was one phase and then—"

"Oh, um, guys, our new housemate is still standing right here." Trudy cut off a short girl with tan skin and even shorter dark brown, almost black, wavy hair.

Jerome practically choked on his food. "_She's _our new roommate?"

"For now, while Mick is gone, yes, she is."

"So what's your name?" Another boy with darkish-brownish hair and bangs swept across his forehead asked me, a smile playing over the lips above his sharp, pointed chin, highlighted his rosy red cheeks.

"Aram." I replied sarcastically.

"Really!" The other, African American, dark-skinned boy perked up, a grin lightening up his childish expressions.

"No." I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smiling a little back. "It's Alice."

"Okay. Great. Lice then it is." Jerome clipped the first letter off my name, earning chuckles and giggles from his housemates, and my mood instantly darkened again.

"Hi, I'm—"

"Somebody I couldn't care less about. Now I would like to be shown to my room please. The sooner I come in the sooner I can get out of this hell." I spit through a sharp, thick British accent, cutting off the American-accented, wavy blondish-brownish haired girl who tried to stand up and talk to me, before turning on my heels and marching down the hall.

"Lice certainly does have the attitude of Aram." Jerome muttered from the dining room, and everybody laughed again, causing me to growl slightly, angered as I searched for my new room and life and hell.

Looks like this was gonna be fun.


	2. Chapter 2: Introductions

**Hey guys! I know I probably wasn't a big hit in the last chapter but I guess it was only the first one and I promise (well at least I HOPE) that the story gets way more interesting. I myself am NOT a huge fan of OCs but yeah I hope this is a different exception DX I'm actually probably gonna get into the actual story/show plotline in the next chapter (with my own added supernatural twist, of course XD) and I'm pretty sure the ep I'm jumping into is House of Hoax...? I'm not sure. But yeah please R&R and I'll be so grateful! I accept constructive criticsm, like I've said before, and advice would just be so amazing. Maybe even ideas, if you'd like, even though I pretty much got the whole thing planned out. But anyway thanks and enjoy! :D**

Chapter Two

Introductions

I skipped through songs on my iTouch while standing in front of a dresser in my new room that I apparently shared with a boy named 'Fabian'. I secretly sort of hoped that it was the black one-he just seemed sort of nice and funny. But I had a feeling I was out of luck for that. I was just happy, praying over and over, thanking God that it wasn't Jerome.

But after glancing around the other side of the room, seeing how nice and tidy and...nerdy it was, I settled on the assumption that it was the brown-haired boy. After all, he seemed way more of the chic-geek type then the other one-he just passed himself off like a sci-fi-nerd-but-yet-still-cool-class-clown type.

"So, how do you think you'll adjust to this new house, Alice?" Trudy asked as she walked by my door. I shrugged a little.

"Nice enough. For now, at least."

"Aw, I'm sorry you had to be paired with one of these boys. But trust me, they're not all as bad as they seem-even Jerome can have a sweet and sensitive side sometimes."

I snorted slightly. "Yeah, that's believable, I can tell."

Trudy sighed as she headed back out the door. "I suppose Victor will be out of his office soon to give you the rules and tour. Just for a heads up, school starts at 7 and ends at 3. You're schedule will be delivered early tomorrow. Bedtime is ten 'o' clock. You'll know because Victor always makes his hackneyed speech before it every night."

"You have precisely five minutes and then I want to hear a pin drop." A slightly eerie mimicking voice echoed down the hallway, and the brown-haired boy showed up at the doorway, grinning. Trudy laughed loudly, patting his cheeks slightly before walking out the door.

"You should've been there for that performance, Alice. It was an amazing, original play written by our own American Nina Martin, and oh, Fabian did a perfect job portraying Victor! Plus Jerome and Alfie as the camel." They laughed at the memory before Trudy called out one last word, "And oh, by the way, there will be a divider set up soon in the room, for your own privacy!" And so then that left me alone in my new room at my new house with my new roommate.

"So, Alice, right?" He asked to break the awkward silence.

"Mhmm." I replied without paying much attention, turning back to the dresser, reaching into my bag and pulling out a picture...

It held a memory of happiness. Inside of it was me with a crowd of people, but the only one I saw was the boy standing next to me. He had tan skin, dark brown, almost black hair that swept across his forehead, brushing at his eyes in a flowing fashion, and deep, chocolate brown eyes that you could just sink into and...

"Hello? Um, Alice? Are you alright?" "Huh?" I snapped out of my trance and glanced over at Fabian.

"Oh, um, yeah, right." I cleared my throat as I set the picture frame on the top of the dresser, plopped down on my bed and dropped the sports bag on the floor. "Anddd done."

"Are you kidding me? You barely unpacked anything?" I glanced over at him lazily as he gestured to my still pretty-much-full 'suitcase'.

"Ehh." I shrugged a little, picking dirt out from under my nails, looking bored. "I don't plan on staying long anyway."

"Hm." He muttered quietly as he picked up some magazine as he settled on his bed, legs crossed, falling deeply into the words that set on his page.

"Knock knock, okay, coming in now!" Some curly-blonde-haired girl called from the doorway, and I glanced over to see about four teenagers from the table crammed in there.

"Oh, um, hey, Amber..." Fabian trailed off as the blondie sat down on the edge of my bed, giving me a studying look.

"Are you, like, Goth?"

"Oh geez, Amber." Another girl I hadn't really noticed before groaned from the doorway. She was wearing my kind of outfit and had a sharp chin, outlined by slightly wavy, brown hair with fake blue and pink streaks.

"Yeah, don't judge a book by it's cover." Fabian called from his side of the room. "But she's not a book. She's a person." 'Amber' glanced over at me. "You are, like, human, right?"

"No, Amber, she's a blood-sucking, flesh-eating, brain-feasting zombie alien!" The short boy from earlier jumped forward, pretending to 'attack' Amber's head.

"Stop it, Alfie, cut it out!" Amber batted his hands away as she stood up and tried to weasel out of his grip and went back to stand next to the other two laughing girls at the door, pouting and crossing her arms.

"Hey Aram!" 'Alfie' cried as he sat next to me, legs draped over the side of the bed.

"Okay, I've only been here for about an hour and that's already becoming quite hackneyed." I replied to him, still coming to a smile again.

"Aw." He frowned slightly. "So can I steal Jerome's nickname 'Lice' for you?"

"Preferably not." I admitted honestly and people chuckled slightly again.

"Anyway, Alice, um, this is Alfie, the sci-fi-obsessed-class-clown," 'Wow, spot on' I thought as Fabian stood up, starting to introduce everybody in the room at the moment. "Patricia, the paranoid, determined-"

"Goth Pixie." Alfie cut off, and they all laughed at some kind of old 'inside joke' I guessed, earning a few chuckles from me as well.

"Yes, I guess you could say that," Fabian semi-agreed, and then continued the introductions. "but anyway, this is Amber, the, um, you know, classic blonde-"

"What's that supposed to mean!" Amber cut off, causing everybody to laugh AGAIN.

"Oh, whatever you want to believe it does, Amber." Patricia replied, taking a seat down next to Alfie.

"-AND that's Nina, the brave American girl, who was new right before you."

"Yes, even though you probably wouldn't believe me, and it doesn't seem like it, I know exactly how you feel." I pulled a fake smile over my face and nodded along, apologizing a little from my 'inexcusable' (but not really) behavior towards her earlier in the dining room, but inside I was thinking 'you truly have no idea.'

"So when's the initiation test?" A British-accented voice called from the doorway, and we all looked up to see Jerome leaning against it, eating an apple. My eyes widened slightly when I got a full view of him-I had never noticed how _tall _he was until he was actually standing up.

"Initiation test?" Everybody asked at the exact same time, and then realization slowly began to sink in for them as Jerome began to smirk.

"Oh, no, seriously, Jerome? That was just a fake thing to scare Nina off and try to get answers about Joy!" Patricia remarked, and I scrunched my eyebrows together, confused.

"Patricia's old best friend who stayed here before Nina." Jerome replied with a bored shrug of the shoulders.

"She's _still_ my best friend." Patricia growled slightly, standing up to glare at Jerome full-on.

Jerome held up his hands in his own defense. "Okay, okay, sheesh, touchy." He nodded over towards me. "I still think that newbie over here should-"

"Okay, what are you guys doing to torture the new girl this time?" The shorter girl showed up behind Jerome in the hallway, giving him a pointed look as if accusing him while she crossed her arms.

"Oh yeah, and this is _Mara," _Jerome waved towards the girl beside him, who waved slightly, smiling at me. "she's the stupid, shy, boring and sensible one." _Smack. _"Not to mention short." _Double smack._

"Oh, yeah, and let me guess," I retorted as I stood up, fixing my death glare on Jerome who got caught in my gaze, wavering slightly and then stilling. "you're Jerome; the little insensitive jerk who never cares about anybody but himself, but just runs around making bets and pranking people, not even caring about their feelings and being inconsiderate when it goes too far-but, I haven't finished yet."

I held up my hand to all the gaping people staring at me in shock as I continued my observations and inferences about the tall, intimidating teenage boy in front of me. "There's some kind of secret that you keep deep inside of you-emotions and memories that you lock up, trying to prove to yourself that you can live life on your own and make yourself out as okay, even though you truly are not and really worth _nothing_."

It was silent for a moment as Jerome's hand slowly curled around the apple, crumbling it into mush and juice before hurling it on the ground and marching out the door to somewhere unknown.

"Jerome, wait!" Mara called before she headed after him.

"Watch it, boy!" A stern voice called from down the hallway as the now running footsteps continued someone far into the house. "And no running Jeffray!"

"Oh, snap, Victor's coming. Everybody hide your eyes and toothbrushes before he takes them and forces you to clean the toilet with them." Alfie cried as he stood up, running towards the door in an attempt to escape before a figure filled the doorway.

The man who stood there was impossible to describe, except for the word, well, um..._creepy._ He was old-obviously-and had brown hair tainted with gray sitting on the top of his head, holding a face disgustingly wrinkled. His nose was long and crooked which he could look down at you from with wide, accussing, scary eyes.

"Not so fast, Lewis." He took a toothbrush out of his back pocket and gave it to Alfie.

"Aw, really, again? I'm not kidding, you seriously _**HAVE **_to find a new punishment."

"You're not cleaning the toilet this time." He gestured towards the stained, apple-engraved carpet in the doorway as Alfie took the toothbrush, and he groaned.

"Oh, come on, really? Jerome made this mess, not me!"

"I'm not interested in Clarke's many issues, just start scrubbing that scum off my antique carpet!" Victor cried, and I almost laughed but tried not to when I put two and two together. 'Lewis & Clarke'. Coincidence last names for two of the best of friends.

"Now, come on, Miss..." Victor trailed off, eyes narrowing down at me as he searched through his memory for a missing piece in the key.

"Name's Alice, no last name, now hurry up and give me the tour of the house so I can crash." I stood up and stretched, hiding my slight fear of the man who stood in front of me before stepping around him and out into the hallway.

"She doesn't have a last name?" I heard Fabian whisper from the room behind us.

"How weird is that?" Patricia agreed along with him, and I frowned slightly, wishing I could recall my memories that I had lost of my early life before five years old, but couldn't, and therefore had no idea who my real family, name or _**ANYTHING**_ was.

But pushing that aside, I could only think one thing right now as Victor showed me the laundry room, upstairs girls' dorm, doors leading up and down to the off-limits attic and cellar (some places I'd have to mark as a reminder in my brain to check out later), bathrooms and told me the rules-

I couldn't _wait_ to get out of here.

**So what do you guys think of my second chapter? Is it too fast or too slow? I really would love to hear what you think, no matter what, even if you hate it. XD I'll try to make it better. But anyway, once again, I just gotta put this in there, is anybody else DYING for it to be tomorrow already! I just cannot WAIT to see the new HoA ep! Oh and btw has anybody seen the character analysis for Jerome? And the part (I'm not gonna try to give anything away-AKA this might be a total *SPOILER ALERT* if you haven't seen it but if you have yeah then read on then :D) around the :24 mark with the total spoilers I was just like 'OH MY GOD!' freaking out and I think whatever ep that is in might be this week and on some site, I'm hoping it's not true, but it says he betrays all his housemates when Mara rejects him or something...(NOOO I LOVE JARA DX)...and there's an ep this week called 'House of Betrayl' and OMQ I'm getting way too into this and blabbering too much so Ima just cut this off now...sooo byeee! =D**


	3. Chapter 3 First School Day

_**NOOOOOOO! **_**Okay so is everybody else just freaking out and is so freakin' MAD after today's episode of HoA! I know for one that I am! if you haven't seen the new house of stars n house of harsh ep u may want to jst skip rite ahead to the story. in fact ill jst move my little freak-out-obsessed-jerome-nerd-talk part to the end again. ****but anyway, i realize im blabbing on now. i guess i just love jerome and his character too much. =) but anyway, id jst like to thank a few ppl rite now in the beginning of this chapter.**

**Infamousplot-Thank you so much for being my first reviewer on a fanfiction EVER! You're a talented author, and you gave me some great advice on my writing style that I'm trying to work on balancing out. (Oh, and if you all reading are HoA fans...which...I bet you are...but anyway, and you love the friendship between Alfie & Jerome, or just either of the characters, I suggest you check out Infamousplot's _amazing _story Bambi!)**

**Reviewer-Well, um, I don't really know who you are, but thank you for taking your time to review my story! I got a kick out of when you said 'Alice is too goth', IDK why, but I just though that it was funny XD but anyway I am going to try and cast her in a nicer light later on in the story. Thanks again.**

**Renesmee C. Cullen da original-Well, thank you, your review has actually galvanized me to start writing and posting more/another chapter (s). Also thanks for being the first to add me to their favorite authors list on your pro. It was so super kind of you!**

**IEatDangerForBreakfast-HAHA yesss finally I have randomly met a fellow questie XXXDDD haha but seriously also thank you SOOO much for complimenting me on my story and I just realized you wrote the fanfic Brainwashed when I looked on your pro to find out how to spell out your full pen name! I remember skimming over and reading that once and I thought it was really pretty good-I'll definetley try to stay more updated on it now. Thanks again!**

**And also thank you to the other people who have subscribed to or added my story to their favorites. You really have no idea how much it means to me. =)**

**Anyway please R&R if you read this no matter _what_-if you love it, hate or, have some advice about it-I'd love to here what you'd have to say about pretty much _everything_ and _ANY_thing about it. Constructive critcism accepted. Would love feedback and yup that's about it sooo bye!**

_**Okay anyway I had to edit this chapter because I realized I skipped right into the wrong episode and screwed the whole thing up. =/ SO, you can either believe that Alice showed up the day Mick left, like, right in the morning, or you can pretend that a whole entire day passed between the scene where everybody was in their pjs in that one other ep-uk, the part after Patricia finally comes back after being kidnapped by a while by Rufus.**_

_**But anyway, if you wanna read the updated parts just skip to after the breakfast scene and/or after the lunch scene also. I also think I'm gonna take the end part after that and put it into Chapter Four. Sorry for all the confusion. ='( But anyway, enjoy the new addition! Anddd remember to REVIEW!**_

Chapter Three

First School Day

I tried to avoid people all day during my first day of school. I wasn't a people person and I wasn't a person people liked. I hid my iTouch in the stitched-in pockets resting on my skirt, spacing out and tapping my pencil topper to the beat of my music all day in every single class, ignoring everybody and thing.

Except for the beginning of each class, really, when the teacher would call on me and ask for my name, and each time I'd have to reply 'I have no last name, so deal with it'. Actually, it started out for me trying to act polite, but then turned the other way.

I tried to avoid people all day at school. I wasn't a people person, and I wasn't a person people liked. I hid my iTouch in the stitched-in pockets resting on my skirt, spacing out and tapping my pencil topper to the beat of my music all day in every single class, ignoring everybody and thing. Actually, it started out for me trying to act polite, but then turned the other way.

Except for the beginning of each class, really, when the teacher would call on me and ask for my name, and each time I'd have to reply 'I have no last name, so deal with it'.

The only semi-interesting part of the day was French class in the morning, right before lunch. It started out with the four weird-ish kids-Nina, Fabian, Amber and Patricia-talking about something quietly, heads close together until they eventually separated and chorused in one odd word: "Sibuna". They held one of their hands in front of a single eye when they said this, and I stared at them, confused.

"Uh, Si-whata?" I repeated, confused, and they all gasped as they whipped around to me sitting there, observing their oddly suspicious behavior.

"Nothing. Just, uh-"

"Dark magic stuff!" Amber cut Nina off, and they all gave her a 'what' look before trying to go along with it.

"Oh, right, you see, I'm sorta big on all the creepy supernatural stuff-you know, ghosts, necromancy, that sort of thing." Patricia shrugged, trying to make it look like it was an everyday occurrence. "So yeah, that's like our call to contact the dead, I guess."

"Um…okay then, have fun with that." Sure, I guess I did love the whole idea about that kind of stuff-but only to really write about, not to really _act _out on it.

And yes, I write. Write, sing and dance, actually. That's where I started to remember living before here-in multiple places across the country with many different dance crews.

But I still had _no _idea about how I got here.

And I still had absolutely _no _idea in hell about my life before all of that practical immigration stuff.

"Okay, settle down, quickly, please." The _click-clack-clunk _of the teacher's, Mrs. Andrew's, heels coming down the hallway notified her arrival, and her words caused everyone to stop talking and focus their attention on the work facing ahead of them.

Well, except for me really, at least.

"Thank you." She plastered a fake smile on her face as she took a seat in her chair behind her desk. "Now, it has come to our attention that some of you are not as occupied as you might like outside of class."

"You can say that again; bring on the new girls, miss!" Jerome called from the back of the class, causing all the people who really knew him to turn around and smile.

"What, I'm not enough for you, Clarke?" I asked sarcastically, which affected all the people that smiled to actually full-out laugh.

"So, we've decided to run elections for a school representative." Mrs. Andrew's continued as if we hadn't even spoken, much to catch a few of the nerdy students' attention.

"School representative will…" And so came forth the long and boring speech about the responsibilities about school representative, until…."…yes, Patricia?"

"I don't mind the whole school rep. idea, Mrs. Andrews…_but_ I might be interested in starting a school paper. You know, the gossip, the news, the scandal…the _truth_. What's your act on it?"

"I think you'll find, Patricia, that that little matter is already at hand." She said a little too sweetly, a sugar-like venom dripping off of her voice. "Now, about the school representative…"

At lunch I sat far away from everybody else in the corner of the room, tearing apart parts of the bread from my sandwich slowly with my black-finger-nail-polished hands, not-hungry and bored out of my mind.

I saw Alfie nudge Jerome out of the corner of my eye and nod his head over to me.

"No, no way, _ever_." Jerome hissed in response and I rolled my eyes, pushing my tray away from me and turning over to glance out the window.

"Fine, then _I __**WILL!**_" Alfie growled back slightly in response before marching over and plopping his tray down in front of mine, dropping his color-splashed, slightly zipped-open backpack on the ground, sitting down across from me and smiling. "Hey, Alice."

I tried for a smile slightly. "Hey."

A sigh sounded from behind me and before I knew it, Jerome was sitting in-between us. "'Hey, Jerome'. Okay, now let's move on, eat, and then get out of here as soon as possible."

"Now you're starting to sound like me."

"Ooh no, Jerome, you're worst nightmare come true." Alfie half-whispered in a 'ghostly' sort of fashion, before Jerome smacked the back of his head and smirked a 'oh shut up Alfie' sort of response.

"Anyway, I gotta go soon. Ya now, find Mara. Talk to her about…stuff."

"Ooohhh, _Mara, _is it, eh, mate?" Alfie teased, earning another, harder hit to the shoulder from Jerome, making me laugh too.

"What's going between you two, huh?" I asked as I finally took a bite from my food.

"Nothing. Absolutely _nothing_." Jerome growled, giving a pointed look to Alfie.

"Ooh, defensive, eh?" I questioned, grinning to myself, trying to hide the dark feeling inside me that grew at the thought of the two of them falling in love. What the hell? Jerome was _stupid_, and if he wanted to go snog Mara, then whatever!

"No, I'm not." He turned his glare on me and I shrugged and quickly turned away, shunning everything I had just thought and felt about him, ostracizing it, and locking it in that little, overflowing box with everything else too. "Besides, I was going to go and offer her for my assistance in her quest for being school rep. as her campaign manager."

"Well that will turn out nicely."

Alfie snickered as he held his barbecue beef sandwich in front of his mouth, preparing to eat.

"Oh whatever. I'm going anyway, considering you don't want this insensitive little jerk in your presence. I'll catch you later, Alfie." Jerome snapped, standing up to throw his tray covered in uneaten food away, throwing his backpack over his shoulder as he walked out the door.

"Nice man purse!" I called out after him, smirking slightly as Alfie burst out laughing.

I did sort of think it was nice, actually.

But you know what was even nicer? The fact that Jerome obviously _did _like Mara.

I just made me grin like a stupid fool. Haha. Precious little thing called _blackmail._

I had tracked them down during lunch. Well, actually, I found Mara sitting down in the drama room, so I sat down across from her, trying to catch her attention.

"So, gooder side of me." I started as I dropped my backpack at the ground beside my feet.

"I think the correct grammar is _better_, Alice."

I waved my hand away in the air, claiming the matter as unimportant. "Anyway, so, tell me-what do you think of Jerome?"

She looked slightly taken aback. "Jerome? Well, uh, I've known him for a while now and…" She shrugged a little. "I dunno. Did he put you up to this?"

"No, no, not at all." I held up my hands in my own defense as she pointed a white envelope at me accusingly. "Anyway, what's that?" I nodded towards the card now appearing from outside of the case as she opened it.

She shrugged a little. "Something from the parents…." She opened it up and looked inside, shoulders shaking slightly with silent laughter. "Typical."

"Problem?" A new voice questioned and we both looked up to see Jerome take a seat next to Mara. I smirked, trying not to laugh at the little voice in the back of my head taunting me to mock him with a little 'haha, well, look who showed up here fashionably late, Mr. Knight in Shining Armor'.

"No, just, it's a card…from my parents, wishing me luck for the play." She added as if not totally obvious, and I was about to ask 'which play' before I realized I'd totally be interrupting on a soon to appear classic Jara moment.

"Well at least you got a card." Jerome muttered.

She paused and looked at him again, more studying, thinking, as if searching back through her mind for a memory she had forgotten or misplaced. But, no, she soon realized it was true. Sudden interest and shock dawned on her face as she said, "I don't think I've ever met your parents, Jerome."

All of a sudden Alfie entered the room, murmuring the words, beats and rhythms of the song he was listening to on his iPod as he tried a pathetic, epic failing attempt of a moonwalk, causing me to sputter up a laugh.

I saw Jerome shrug a little bit out of the corner of my eye, and my gaze shot back over to him as he tried to mask his emotions. "It'd probably be because they never actually visit."

"OW!" Alfie cried in a sing-song, Michael Jackson like voice as he tried to do a pivot turn, but failed. Super. Epically.

Jerome's laughter echoed with mine and a couple other random people's across the room as their attention was finally called by the dancing dud over there on the floor, trying in a pathetic, desperate attempt to breakdance.

"Jerome, you're supposed to be helping me with my bboy moves!" Alfie pointed his index finger at his best friend accusingly, frustration set in his eyes. "Almost got the caterpillar."

His last statement cut off my coming on offer to assist him in his quest to become a breaker (hehe…get it…_quest…_like Quest Crew and…sorry, but seriously), and he spread out on the floor and started flailing around.

"I'm sorry, are you having a heart attack or what?" I asked, and the laughter heightened around the room.

But Mara wasn't amused. She fixed her look back on Jerome, desperate to catch his attention and get him to answer her pressing question. "Don't you see them on the holidays then?"

I glanced over Jerome to see his response but instead caught his attempt in a good mood across his glowing face vanish, a bad, painful, yet still neutral one crossing over it yet again. I could sense the darkness of memories haunting him, dancing above his head, taunting him as he stood up to walk away. "Anyways, um, I gotta go."

A sound of sorrow crossed his voice, causing me to sit up, gaze intent on him, forgetting everything else that had happened. I know I had only really known Jerome for a day or two, but I could tell who people were, and it was obvious he wasn't the kind of person to break easily.

"But, hey, Jerome, I need you to hold my legs for this one…" Alfie's voice trailed off as he tried to prepare on another move, but all laughable-joking-good mood hanging in the air had already evaporated and turned towards one more dark and serious.

"Jerome…did I say something?" Mara asked, partially worried.

Jerome hesitated, a look in his eyes obviously saying he wanted to tell her everything, to give in, to just break down the walls he had so carefully built up and-"No, just…places to go, people to see."

And with that said, he turned and left, causing a confused Mara to turn and share a look with an even more confused me.

Not to mention Alfie over on the side, still epically-failing/_flailing _about.

Sheesh, this place was just full of secrets, wasn't it?

And there would be even more that I would soon figure out, about the house, my house_mates_, and myself.

**So anyway, what'd you think of the story and these latest few chapters? Too fast? Too slow? I have officially jumped into the storyline here XD I'm not sure I got all the lines rite (especially the Patricia one that started with 'alfie lewis' & a lot of other stuff. i jst guessed nd probably totally failed, so if u kno wut it really is, or any others, plz notify me of it, thx :)) OH AND BTW I definetley do NOT own House of Anubis or any of the characters or lines/scenes from the script&episodes. i also do not own apple software or any other music-related-thing mentioned in this whole entire fic. nor do i own will smith and i am legend and all his other epic alien movies.**

**But anyway, continuing my rant on today's new and latest episode, episode, I think they're making the total WRONG choice making jerome the whole traitor one who betrays them. i mean they built up this whole amazing, great, deep character with so much depth nd room for devlopment (nd im pretty sure everyone, like me, totally fell in luv with him after the story about his parents) nd jst tore him down again! i mean ya i guess he wuznt the most trustable person but i doubt he wuld ever really go as far as he went in tht last ep n omiGAWRSH he wuz still so amazing nd they practically jst cut off his relationship with mara she and mick CNT get back together JARA ALL THE WAY! (even tho i dnt realy like mara i jst like the sweet side of jerome cuz ya i luv him) i jst hope he turns back to the good side again in the end. well i guess hes not EVIL but...he jst made the wrong mistake. i mean patricia basically did the same thing towards the beginning with rufus too! neither of them really knew wut wuz going on! but anyway, ya, i jst luv his character too much nd hope he realizes wuts going on nd goes back to be super cute again =) BUT ANYWAY R&R plz thx byeeez XD :D**


	4. Chapter 4: Partial Truth

**So guess what guys-I really screwed up again! :D I'm really going through and re-watching all the eps, though, and finding out when to place my OC in and figuring it out. Then I'll probably repost 'Numerology' again as _another _new chapter along with some other additions...sorry again DX and OMIGOSH can anybody else believe that the show is over! it makes me sad =( they totally left open slot holes that ill try and continue and sort of answer when i get into the after-part 'supernatural, light against dark, angels vs. demons' sorta part of my fic. and if you wont like that part then, well, simply dont read it.**

**but anyway =) im sort of mad that they cut off jara. and a little stupid that mick and mara didnt find out about anything. plus, i had to spend the WHOLE entire finale sandwhiched between my brother and cousin at my grandmas who teased me about the WHOLE thing except some of it wuz sorta funny XD but HEY i saw some stuff online about a second season XXXDDD YaaaY but seriously, lmfao plz remember to READ AND REVIEW i will be so grateful and ya n O two quick shout-outs before i continue with the story.**

**Sensei's Little Thunder Ninja-OMIGOSH ikr! when i watched tht ep i was being a usual, _total _HoA jerome _freak _in my living room and practically screaming 'NO JEROME DONT BE EVIL DONT BETRAY THEMMM *his face after rufus said hed mummify him* oOo he looked kinda cute there :D'**

**TeamEdmundAndPeter-thx for reviewing! i hope this is enough for all yallzzz nd O btw i LUVVV ur name XD**

Chapter Four

Partial Truth

I was sitting in the drama room halfway through the school day, skimming through songs on my iTouch before I saw Jerome head in with a _huge _clear, plastic of jellybeans. Crinkling my nose in disgust (I had never liked that particular kind of candy), I was about to call out to him before Mara showed up, nervously catching his attention.

"I hope I didn't upset you earlier." She started hesitantly as she clasped her hands together.

Jerome cast her a sidelong glance before taking off his backpack and sitting in a chair, and Mara in one next to him. "'Bout what?" He answered neutrally, hiding any possible trace of emotion.

"When I mentioned your parents…and you got very odd and ran away."

"No I didn't." He was quick to respond, slightly defensive in his words, but still didn't look her directly in the eyes.

"You did, actually." I almost snorted out loud at her oblivious stubbornness, but quickly brought a hand up to prevent it, muffled it, cleared my throat and went back to trying to be bored, casting a furtive glance back to them every now and then.

"Honestly, Mara, it's cool." He finally looked fully at her, casting his hand away slightly in a 'throw-it-away-it's-not-important-' gesture before plopping a jellybean inside his mouth.

"Okay, good." She breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Jerome's eyes icy, light blue eyes glazed over as he spaced out.

"You know I've been at school since I was…" He paused for a second, jellybean being waved around as he considered it, pressed inside his two fingers before he ate it and finished, "…five years old."

I glanced over again, focusing my laser eye vision in on him, frowning slightly in concentration. _Five years old._ That was insane! How could his parents leave him there for so long?

His parents…that he was so uncomfortable to talk about, avoiding the topic every time it came up.

"Oh God." I hissed silently to myself before instantly whipping my head back to my music, body tense, even my music not able to distract me from their conversation-which I knew where it was going.

"I didn't-that's so young!" He glanced over at her slightly, pausing in chewing his jellybean. "Even Harry Potter didn't go to 'til he was eleven." I made a 'blech' face to myself, rolling my eyes at her stupid, desperate attempt at a joke.

Although his jaw twitched once in a tiny smile and fake laughter before he continued in a voice with so much depth in it that it almost made my heart stop, "You just learn how to…._hide _your emotions."

Mara's smile faltered slightly as he, in fact, emotion-less-ly lifted another piece of candy to his mouth and silently chewed and swallowed it.

"Wow…who would have thought it-you have a sensitive side."

He paused as he looked at her idiotic beaming face before snatching his bag of jellybeans, standing up and pushing the sleeve of his uniform back, preparing to take off again before she stopped him.

All happy joking aura around her had disappeared as she flung her hands up and quickly apologized with, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…it's just…I'm used to you and Alfie goofing around, that's all." She paused, getting another look at him standing over her, trying to find the right words to say before settling with, "There's…more to you than meets the eye, isn't there?"

He glanced to the side for a second, thinking it through before replying, "I'm actually a very deep person, Mara."

They stood there for a second, just staring into each other's eyes, and I had to turn away and bite my knuckle from holding back the girlish scream inside me because of how much he _obviously _loved her!

He quickly recollected himself and went and fell back into his normal, funny, quirky self as he sat back down and said, "For example, did you know that I am the current, Anubis house, jellybean-eating champion?"

He replied with something inaudible as he tossed a handful of jellybeans up in the air, catching some with his mouth while Mara and I burst out laughing.

"That should really be an Olympic event!" Mara responded, causing more laughter as I leaned forward and grabbed a red jellybean myself (okay, so I lied-I _did_ like the red jellybean-but the red flavor of candy is always the best!).

"Just alongside Alfie's breaking." I added, and they glanced over at me, just noticing me for the first time probably that whole school day, and started laughing along anyway.

Well, I was probably, most _definitely _rooting for Jara in the end of our strange, teenage lives.

"Okay, you are _way _better at this than 'Jellybean Challenge'." Mara admitted as Jerome practically _killed _her in chess, with me sitting on my knees beside the table with my arms on it, watching with my head resting on my arms, participating with an active voiceover.

He opened up his face in mock offense as she continued, "Why am I not surprised?"

Jerome hurried to cover himself by saying, "Oh I'm a guy of many and very talents, Mara."

"Including just some of the following: sarcastic attitude, blackmailing, Robert Pattinson trivia…" I added in my voiceover tone causing Mara to laugh and Jerome to lean back slightly, tilting his chin up and down to try and effectively glare at me, pushing one of his sleeves up slightly as I raised my eyebrows back up at him.

"Why don't you come to chess club?" Mara's question caught Jerome off-guard and he glanced back over at her, giving her a look.

Realization dawned on Mara as she concluded, "Oh, right, '_uncool'_."

He made a face as he agreed with a silent, "Yeah."

"Ouch-that's more like the Jerome I know and love." Mara grinned and my eyebrows shot up even more as my head whipped around to see Jerome's reaction, which was a sudden jolt of shock as he fell back slightly, a slow, joyful grin slowly pulling up along his lips before Alfie showed up.

"Half-pipe, here we come-check out the new deck, bro!" We all glanced up wearily at him, taking in his whole 'beginner skater' look, complete with helmet, elbow and shin guards, and a skateboard held up in his hands, decorated with red and dull orange flames across the bottom of it.

Jerome waved towards Mara and the chess game, just barely muttering, "Busy."

Alfie sighed exasperatedly as he set the board on the ground. "Oh, come on! You! Me! Skate park, injuries! It's gonna be awesome!" He waved his hands around in the air, a desperate grin set across his face.

Jerome racked his brain for another response, but simply ended up repeating, "Busy, Alfie."

He pouted, dropping his hands down, shoulders drooping. "Fine!" He gritted the word angrily through his teeth as Jara returned to their chess game and he tried to get a stance on the board as his eyes settled on me and then brightened with hope, a joyful smile lighting his face as he asked, "Hey Alice, would you instead like to go to the sk-WOAH!"

He cut himself off as the board went flying, knocking the chess board down and I cut it just in time before it practically cut my head clean off my neck and he fell to the ground, clutching his…_injury_ and whimpering as astonished laughter filled the room.

"Why?"

Before I knew it, I was sitting in a room full of murmuring students as a busy-looking Mrs. Andrews stood on the stage of the drama room in front of us, holding a clipboard.

"Okay, quiet _down_, now everybody's here," She pulled another classic fake, plastic smile over her face as she continued, "I just want to let everyone now that we are officially moving ahead with our idea for a school representative." Mrs. Andrews announced from the drama room as our grade and ones ahead gathered around. I fake gagged, causing people who saw it to chuckle slightly as I propped my feet up on the end arm rest of the couch I was draped across, turning my attention back to my music _once again_.

Bored expressions also crossed everybody else's as they slouched back, mimicking the hated teacher while Jerome considered what she had just said, his lips opening and forming the word 'oh' before they closed and he slightly glanced over at a sitting-up, interested Mara sitting next to him.

"And that person will be chosen from this year group." She glanced around at all of us, expecting a greater reaction then the dull one she had received.

"Is that it?" Alfie asked after a moment of silence, and he glanced over all of us in the crowd as we wavered with slight laughter and little, quiet agreements and statements. "_Boring. _I thought it'd be some exciting mystery."

"Be careful what you wish for." Patricia answered both sad and tiredly from where she and the rest of the 'Sibuna' gang stood next to him, and they all sighed and sorrowful despair as Alfie and everyone else gave them a weird, slightly confused look-including me.

"So do we have any nominations?" Mrs. Andrews tried to continue as if nobody had spoken, even though her tone of voice had slight annoyed, tired sound to it.

"I nominate Mara Jeffray!" Jerome called, raising one of his hands slightly, and I rolled my eyes with a silent 'of course'.

"Very good." Mrs. Andrews smiled approvingly as she jotted down her name on the paper resting underneath the clip on her, *ahem*, _clip_board, while all her other friends turned to grin to her as Miss Goody-Two-Shoes herself nodded in agreement and turned to grin at Jerome and him back down at her.

"Any other nominations?" She asked as Mara swatted Jerome's arm slightly and he tilted his head to the side, smiling and shrugging a little.

"I nominate Ammm-"

"Don't you dare!" Amber cut off in a tight, quick growl as Alfie started to screech her name out to be nominated for school rep.

"-Ammmelia Binches!" He finished off, gesturing towards some nerdy girl in the corner of the room in braids and braces set across her teeth. Everyone slowly turned around, horrid looks on their faces as she grinned and waved, nodding in agreement.

"Excellent!" Mrs. Andrews cried as she wrote her name down as well while Alfie offered a slightly distressed, pathetic, desperate smile and Fabian pulled off the most epic 'WTF' face I had ever seen that I just couldn't help but _burst _out laughing.

"What?" He whispered to Alfie as he held up a wimpy thumbs up and he replied something back like 'it was qualified' or something, while Amelia leaned over and whispered to her friend, casting furtive glances back at the classic class clown.

"Any other nominations?" Mrs. Andrews asked once again in an even bored voice, obviously hoping that the answer would be 'no' and that this would all be over soon. "No? So. Nominations will close in five days time. Thank you very much."

She turned on her heels and headed off the stage as everyone else headed off their own ways and I gathered together with Alfie and Jerome.

"Welcome to 'We Love Mara Land-Population: Jerome'!" Alfie held his hands out in exaggeration and, believe it or not, I actually, possibly laughed even louder and harder than before when I had seen Fabian's face.

"Oh…my God." I uttered in-between gasps of breath and air. "Best…pwn-worthy-line…_ever!" _I cried as I reached my hand out to give Alfie a high-five, and he slapped it gleefully, his usual, hopeful, obviously stupid grin spread across his face.

"Calm down." He snapped to both of his, then jabbed his finger over his shoulder as he turned to Alfie, "And I had no idea you were into Brace-Face."

I snickered at his comeback as Alfie hissed, "Shush, she'll hear you!"

"Paranoid much?" I asked as Jerome called, 'AMELIA!', causing Alfie to duck behind a row of lockers as Jerome continued on his way down the hallway, adding 'you can run but you can't hide, mate.'

"Same goes for Mara and you. Poor, poor girl." I laughed to myself as I walked beside him, and he glared at me.

"Oh shut it, would you…" His mind searched through its memory for a last name, before I cut him off with a 'don't have one, remember?'. "Oh yeah." He frowned slightly. "That is weird, you know. I mean, how can you just go waltzing around with no full name, you'd have to not have or remember your family or something."

I practically shut down, just like his reaction to the mention of his _own _parents earlier. "I, um, yeah, gotta, er, go now, so, uh, bye, I…guess."

His frown grew deeper, eyebrows scrunched together as he swung his jacket down from the usual place where he kept it draped over his shoulder by sticking his finger through the tag. "Hey, Alice wait up!" He caught up with me as I stopped, sighing with my hand on the door.

"What, Jerome?"

He wringed his jacket slightly nervously but still without breaking his gaze from mine as he whispered softly, "Who are you? Where are you from? Why are you here?"

I gazed deeply into those blue eyes, just realizing how gorgeous and enticing they were, and I just almost slipped away from my guard and broke down, telling him everything…

Key word=_almost_.

I broke my gaze with his for a second, only to have them glance down to his lips, the floor and back to the safety of his perfect eyes once again as I replied with the only truth I knew right now.

"I don't know."


	5. Chapter 5: Numerology

**AN: No idea why I called this chapter this. Just because I guess it's based around Mr. Winkler's numerology lesson and Amber's fake version.**

**But anyway, if you've been following this story for a while, you already read this part, and don't worry but I'm gonna update with a real, new chapter soon. I'm just trying to stick to the plot as much as possible for now and realized I _really _screwed up in it-check the last, updated chapter for more information. But anyway, so yeah. Hope you enjoy anyway and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEE REVIEWWW! :::DDD thx.**

Chapter Five

Numerology

I ducked into the bathroom that I had to share with the boys (can I say ew?) the next morning, throwing on my new uniform complete with my own personal touch. Underneath I had black-rose-laced tights, matching gloves, same old Converse boots, slightly loose tie with some punk-pins I stole from my duffel bag and put on it and my new, strap-over-the-shoulder backpack.

I headed into the kitchen, tugging my backpack behind me and looked around the partially-full table. A few people looked up at me but then back down, uninterested. I sighed as I dropped my bag down on the floor and sat in-between Fabian and Alfie.

"I like what you've done with your uniform!" Amber practically cried approvingly. "It's very dark and Goth, but still cool. Super cool."

"Um, thanks, I guess." I replied, somehow questioning if she was serious or not.

Patricia walked in, slightly disgruntled looking and still in her PJs.

"Hi, you okay?" Mara asked, concerned, as she walked out of the kitchen with a plate stacked with pancakes, sitting down next to Amber and Jerome.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Patricia shot back as she took a detour around her to her seat at the other far end of the table.

"You had a bad night."

"I'm fine!" Patricia tried to convince weakly.

"I didn't sleep too good either," Alfie put in, the side of his head resting tiredly on one of his hands. "I was up all night looking for UFOs."

We all stared at him for a second before Jerome, Amber and I started bursting out laughing.

"UFOs?" I repeated, giving him a look like 'uhh-what-the-hell-dude-seriously?'.

"Yeah." Soon enough everybody was cracking up. "They're coming! Trust me! And then everybody will come running to Alfie, with his alien expertise!"

"What?" Jerome asked in a high voice, cracked and destroyed from laughing so hard.

"Alfie Lewis, champion of the earth!" Patricia cried in a low voice, and we all started laughing again.

"More like 'Alfonzo is Legend'." I made a reference to the classic Will Smith movie 'I am Legend', perpetuating the laughter.

Then the topic shifted to what was up with Smith and all his alien-invasion movies, causing more smiles, jokes and laughter until Nina walked in.

"Hey, um, I need to talk to you about something." She said tiredly to Fabian.

"Yeah…" He glanced around the table slightly nervously. "me too."

They both headed out of the doorway, exiting the house and walking to school, causing me to scrunch my eyebrows together yet again. "What's up with those two?" I asked, confused.

"Oh, everyone knows they're in love, but they are just too stupid to really do anything about it." Jerome replied like it was an everyday occurrence-and I was just shocked he was still talking to me after what I had said last night.

"Oh, well, if that wasn't obvious since the first time I set foot in this place."

"So you're calling it an actual place now instead of a hell?"

I glanced down at the table. "Well I suppose actual places would have actual spiders, right?"

Jerome followed my gaze to the table and let out a cry. "HOLY SH-" He screamed as he stood up, pushing his chair back abruptly and backing slowly away from the table before Trudy interrupted him.

"Jerome, language, please!" Trudy commanded as she walked into the room, taking some rubber gloves off of her hands, giving him a perpetual gaze.

"-SHINNN OCEAN! HOLY OCEAN! There's a freakin' huge spider right there on the table!"

"Oh, honestly, Jerome, it can't be that-"

"Eep! Mara! You're plate!" Amber squealed as she stood up, hopping up and down in one spot, pointing down at her food.

"AHHH!" Mara cried as she stood up and backed away fast from the table, almost tripping over her own feet before Jerome caught her.

"Seriously, guys, it's just a-OH MY GOD!" Patricia screamed as she got up as well, staring at the huge, furry, eight-legged insect in terror.

"Oh, no, it's gonna show up in the middle of the night and crawl into your ears and eat your brains out and-"

"Alfie?"

"Yeah?"

"It's about to eat your brains out."

Alfie's eyes narrowed in on the spider resting on his nose when I informed him on this, and he shrieked like a girl before swatting it off, screaming 'GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFFF!', and running over to try and jump in Jerome's arms.

"Hey, we're not Big Time Rush!" Jerome cried before he dropped Alfie, desperately clinging onto his neck, who soon fell to the ground in a heap.

"Relax, will ya? Sheesh, you bunch of girls! I'll get it."

I glanced around after finishing my sentence directed towards the two guys, looking for something to smush it with, before going over, taking Jerome's shoe and slamming it down on the table in an attempt to kill the 'deadly beast'.

"There, all done." I said as I dropped the shoe back down on the floor, rubbing my hands together slightly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm heading out over to school."

"Weirdest girl ever." Alfie's whisper carried down the hall as I tried to exit and leave the house.

"I dunno, are you sure she's weirder than _you_, Alfie?" Mara asked somewhat sarcastically.

"Yeah, Alfs, you're really one to talk." Patricia commented and agreed with Mara at the same time.

"Well, I'm pretty sure." Jerome muttered. "I'm very sure."

"Okay, settle down everyone-quickly, quietly please!" The teacher of history (Mr. Winkler, I think his name was?) called as the class settled in after lunch had just ended. "I want to talk numerology."

"Numerology?" Jerome repeated as he followed in behind Mara. "Sir, this is a serious class, not new age crud."

"Nothing can be taken for granted when you're in here, Clarke." I didn't even try and mutter or hide my snide remark from everyone else, partially hoping for some kind of reaction-and gratefully got one of all the students burst out laughing, along with an expected glare from Jerome.

A quick catch-up on everything that had happened today so far-nothing. An absolute zero. Except for the fact that, well, there was another little Jara moment when Jerome confronted Mara about being her campaign manager and she agreed. Besides that…yup, nothin'.

My mind caught on one of those words resting in my mind-or, more specifically, a name: Jerome. Who the hell does he think he is? He struts around the school acting like he's all-that-and-what-not, then gets all sort of cute and secretive and deep around Mara and the mention of his parents, and even more confused and sweeter at the confrontation about my own parents yesterday.

But then he just lets it go.

And would he ever pick it back up again?

Because something inside me really hoped he would.

Mr. Winkler randomly picked up his chair and set it on his desk. "Today we would look at something like this chair and say it isn't alive. But the ancient Egyptians believed everything was alive. They believed everything was made up of living particles." He took the chair off his desk. "And that every person, every object could be reduced down to what they believed were divine numbers."

I paused my music for a second and sat up, now somewhat interested in the strange topic.

"The god, Osiris, represented the first perfect odd number-three. Plus Isis represents the number four. The result of the two, was their son, Horus, who's represented by the number five." He gave his little speech as he drew the symbols and wrote down the names and numbers on the board.

His lesson was cut off by an abrupt, short, but still sharp scream, and I jumped and glanced over to see Patricia grabbing her backpack and running out the door, followed by Fabian, Nina, Alfie, Amber and Mara.

"I guess that's class dismissed then." Mr. Winkler settled after trying and failing to get their attention, capping the top of his marker and glancing away from the class' gazes awkwardly. I glanced over and shared a weird look with Jerome before getting up and leaving the class to go in search for the others with him.

"So she's definitely alright?" Mara asked Alfie that night after dinner was over and everybody was helping clean up (well, the ones who had chores, at least-which I was luckily not one of them).

"Yeah. It took me ages to find her-she's a bit embarrassed, that's all. So when she comes in, don't mention it, okay?"

"Fine by me. I've had enough scary topics for one day." Everybody gave her a weird look, as if saying '_you _have it tough!'. "Listen up guys, Mr. Winkler said that the Egyptians were _way_ big on numerology, and I happen to know, how to work out your perfect love match, by working out your numbers." A pause as we all took in her words and look with her zebra-printed scarf tied around her head, which made me wonder, was I the only one trying _really _hard _not _to laugh?

Alfie slid into the chair beside her, eyes perked up, but then let down when she told him 'no thanks'.

"There's no science behind that what-so-ever." Mara remarked, and I gestured towards her, agreeing with a pointed 'THANK YOU!'.

"Wow, is it hot in here!" Nina's voice called out from across the room, and I boringly glanced behind me to see her and Fabian on the couch, a little red and embarrassed looking.

I was about to make a mordant remark when Alfie cried out, "Mr. Sweet! Old Sweetie is my perfect love match!" Jerome doubled over laughing from cleaning the dishes and counter in the kitchen, and I couldn't help but start cracking up myself, now knowing that it was the headmaster of the school.

Alfie made a grossed-out face along with disgusted noises as our laughter grew, uncontrollable now.

"Sorry Alfie!" Amber's apology was partially drowned out by Jerome's loud laugh echoing throughout the otherwise empty kitchen. "Like I said, the numbers never lie." She gave Mara a matter-of-fact look. "It's science."

"Nina! Let's work out your numbers!" Her gaze shunted over to the brown-haired boy sitting beside her on the couch. "And then maybe Fabian."

He glanced away, smiling slightly, and I rose my eyebrows again, muttering an almost silent 'ooo' before Patricia walked in and it all got silent for a moment before somebody cleared their throat and we all resumed our separate conversations.

"Where did you find this, Patricia, I could kiss you!" Fabian suddenly cried from the couch, and I'm pretty sure we all turned to give him a weird look.

"Don't!" Patricia instantly reacted, holding up her hand as a reflex to shield him away from her.

"Find what?" I asked, confused.

"Nothing!" They both cried suddenly at the same time, turning back around, trying to hide some object in Fabian's hand. He shoved it in his coat pocket, and when it tumbled out, he hurriedly stuffed it in his bag again.

"Um, no thanks, I think _I'll _keep it this time, Fabes."

"No, no, I got it, see." He pushed it lightly _under _his bag instead.

"Don't know how that's any better, but okay."

I turned back around, slightly confused but pushing it aside in my head, putting my feet back up on the table, glancing back at the people in front of me-Amber and her 'numerology love science', Mara trying to both shun it but also eager to try it at the same time, Nina hurt by what Fabian said and Jerome finishing up his chores with a bored expression.

"E.T.'s gone home!" We all suddenly heard Alfie's voice waft down the hallway and into the room from his and Jerome's bedroom, and we all looked at each other and then instantly burst out laughing at exactly the same time.

"Does anybody know if Robert Pattinson's gone any middle names?" Amber asked abruptly, in the middle of doing one of her little project things.

"I dunno, why don't you ask his number one adoring fan over there?" I asked, gesturing towards Jerome, earning a few laughs from my fellow housemates.

"Guys, does anybody know where Alfie is, he's supposed to be helping me!"

"Well, considering his whole 'E.T.' outburst thing, I suggest he's in your guys' room." I replied matter-of-factly but still in a 'wow-you're-way-dumber-than-I-thought' voice.

"Um, Amber, I was wondering if you could do my numbers, and Mick's." Mara asked hesitantly but still excitedly.

"Mick? That dude who lived here before me?" I asked, a little interested. "Why, was there something going on between you two that I would like to know about?"

"I'll tell you later." Nina patted my arm as she walked past to go over and sit next to Patricia and Fabian, while the two other girls just ignored me as Mara continued, asking, 'is that too weird?'.

"No, no, _not __**at **__**all!**_ I am _sooo _like over Mick! It's almost like I'm in a whole other universe!" Amber hurriedly tried to cover up her genuine shock as she handed the notebook and pen over to her. "So, uh, write you're full name and date of birth."

"I thought you weren't into all that crap, Mara?" Jerome asked from the kitchen counter through the open window-thing.

"Oh, Jerome," She laughed nervously. "didn't see you there. Um, it's just for a giggle."

Jerome's lips tightened in a tight fake-smile as he blinked a few times and pulled himself out of his daze, back to his work, while Mara handed the items back to Amber.

"Okay well so Mick's a four which means he's gonna be really successful which is why I liked him in the first place even though I'm a nine which is a little more creative and not really suitable to a four…" She trailed off as she glanced back over to an eagerly waiting Mara, and realizing she was babbling, cut herself off quickly and moved on to finishing off the 'numerology'. "Anyway, it's not about me. Uh, so, um, let's see you're a…"

Jerome glanced up and down and back again, trying to hide his obvious eagerness to see what Mara's number was and if it matched Mick's or not (and obviously hoping it did not).

"And then after one dramatic pause, Amber reveals that her answer is…" I did an active voice-over to the glares of everybody else as Amber blinked a few times, looking shocked and disappointed as she wrote down, circled and stared down at the number in result on her paper.

"What?" Mara asked eagerly, trying to peer down and get a glance at it.

"You're a four." Amber replied non-believably. "Perfect. Match."

Mara started grinning stupidly to herself, obviously smitten of the idea of her and this so-called-amazing 'Mick' guy and her being in love as Amber disgustingly took the scarf off her head while forcing the last word through her now gritted teeth and set jaw.

"Don't that say that you go to someone different from you?" Jerome called from the kitchen, distracted and almost-entirely forgetting about his un-finished work as he tried to mask his hopeful voice. I tried to hide the smirk that appeared over my lips when I realized how much he wanted and needed and was _dying _to be the right 'one'. Jara. Haha, how nauseatingly cute was that?

"Not in this chart no."

The hopeful smile resting on Jerome's lips instantly evaporated as he slowly sank back, hands curling into fists, then quickly covering everything up by turning back to the counter and angrily scrubbing it with nails digging sharply into the cloth.

"So, congrats, well done, go…get him." Amber 'cheered' on unenthusiastically.

My gaze shunted over to Jerome-poor, poor Jerome. Jealous, angry, and hurt. But he obviously didn't-and _couldn't-_believe in that stuff. But did he-did he really have that strong of feelings?

I didn't know but probably was about to soon find out.

**YAAAY you all probably already read this. XD Once again I just love Alfie's "aw ET's gone home!" quote. Haha but anyway, once again PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEEEEEE REVIEWWW if you find an error or typos or anything please point it out. I make mistakes a lot. I love feedback and, like I've said many times before, accept constructive critcism. Thx. =)  
**


	6. Chapter6:Sympathy,Tremors&MoreNumerology

**Heeey OMIGOSH guys guess what :D it is like POURRRING down snow at my town and I betcha school's gonna be canceled tomorrow XXXDDD SOOO that means I'll probably be catching up on the repeat marathon of HoA (wow im such a COMPLETE nerd...but speaking of the show i need to tell you guys something sorta funny) XD and writing this fic and some of my other _actual _stories. XD but i must say, i sort of like where this one is heading and might like to convert it to one of my original stories some dayyy XXXDDD BUT ANYWAY a few quick shoutouts after i tell a quick little jokeish-sorta-thing. . o.o XXXDDD :**

**so im sitting in my block class at the end of the day, and one of my friends asks me 'so you like house of a nubis, rite?' nd im like 'rite' (n my other bffe is jst like 'o gosh' nd rolls her eyes as the other one continues) 'so whats a nubis?' n im jst like 'wut?' nd my bffe nd the other 1 r jst like 'uk, A NUBIS' as my bffe writes 'Nubis' on her open journal notebook page, nd i write a capital A before the N nd write a lowercase one over it nd correct '_ANUBIS _is an egyptian god' nd theyre all jst like 'OOO _ANUBIS'_.**

**so ya tht wuz the highlight of my day. =)**

**gUardianAngeL742-omigosh ikr! darkest powers IS _SO _amazing. (team derek! hehe .) nd O, btw, anyway, thank you sooo much. it makes me really happy that you like my OC-thats actually probably one of the things tht i worry most about in my fic, besides the upcoming switch around of my own idea. hope everybody stays with me through it DXD**

**o nd btw thanks to Renesmee C. Cullen da original and TeamEdmundAndPeter for commenting again! XD**

**(quick disclaimer: i once again owe nothing at all related to house of anubis, the numerology mentions that i ripped off of some website but tried desperately to change into my own words and probably failed becuz it mite be an apocryphal story or not in the first place, and the reference to the chronicles of narnia FTW in the title). -jerome may be a little OOC in this chapter, but not in the romantic way like mostly pulled off in OC stories although even though it mite be coming up, but in a derek souza sorta of way but who said tht wuz bad nd wow im the queen of long ANs-BUT ANYWAY R&R AND ENJOY! :D  
**

Chapter Six

The Sympathizing Roommates, The Tremors, And The Dumb Blond With More Of Her Even Dumber Numerology

"Why, Jerome? Do you want me to do your numbers?" Amber asked Jerome as he set his towel away and was walking out to the living room. He paused, one hand in the other as he considering this slightly, mouth open to respond.

"As long as he's a four too." I muttered, and Alfie burst out laughing from beside me where he had just taken a seat on the couch.

"Finally, somebody else notices besides me!" He exclaimed, grinning as we exchanged high-fives once again.

"What?" Mara asked as she glanced up from her studies at her seat at the far end of the table, smiling slightly.

"Nothing." Jerome answered quickly, shaking his head a little, fake-laughing. "Uh, it's, um, just nothing. Really nothing."

Mara rose her eyebrows a little while muttering a confused 'uh, okay?' sort of reply before turning back to her book still trying to hide the developing grin on her face.

"I dunno, mate, I think you should give it a shot." Alfie cried out as he flipped through channels on the TV, finally settling on cartoons.

"I'd surely like to see and would be all _fo__**U**__r _the results." I said in a perky-yet-still-sarcastic voice, and Alfie started laughing more.

"Oh shut up." Jerome spat as he spun a chair around, sitting down on it in a straddle position as he gave Amber the listed birth information for his number. "Um, so, it's February…_29th, _1995."

Alfie and I glanced at each other and burst out laughing again.

"So, what are you, Jerome, four years old?"

He slammed his palms against the table as he stood up, making everyone jump. "I thought I told you to shut it!"

Laughter instantly died from the room like pressing a mute button on a TV-except only Alfie didn't on the one in the room, and the common sounds of an animated series waved in over us throughout the silent place.

"Well, I don't think they enlist anger management issues for a ten." Amber quietly murmured in a weak voice at a half-attempt for a me-sort-of joke, and we all soon relaxed again as Jerome released his real death glare and slowly sat back down.

"What?" He asked, peering down at her paper to see the 1 followed by the common, classic _zero _after it.

"You're a ten." She said, as if it wasn't totally obvious, while gesturing to the paper before launching into further explanation. "You're ambitious, and yearn for independence. You have leadership skills also and set yourself often on the road to success. You want to live to your dream-to have enough courage and stamina to overcome your obstacles to _be _independent. You have a sharp mind and skills. You organize well, _and _order people even better in a plan.

"You get frustrated, dull and depressed with repeating routines-even the small ones, and you need to take risks more. Although you often become jealous-" A snort appeared from me. "-stubborn and rigid to success or just other stuff to do with people you know. Still, you are loyal and devoted, have determination and creativity, which will help you earn success."

Suddenly she turned to me, grinning. "Hey, Alice, want me to work yours?"

I shrugged a little, turning my full attention back to the TV. "I don't think I really know mine."

Her smile quickly turned to a frown, along with everyone else's in the room.

"Sheesh, you just don't know _anything _about yourself, do you, Lice?" Jerome muttered as he whipped his chair back around and leaned back in it.

"Well-" I hesitated slightly, and then turned around. "Try November 11th, 1995."

Her frown titled down even more as she worked it out, then her mouth started hanging agape, and she slowly looked back up and asked, "Why?"

I shrugged again. "I dunno, it just sort of always felt…_right_, y'know?"

"Well there might possibly, in fact, most _certainly _be something right about this-you're a ten." Everyone froze as our eyes flickered back and forth between Jerome and me. "Just. Like. Jerome."

Jerome paused for a second, glancing over the paper again before asking, "And you are _sure _that I'm not a four?"

It was late that night and I was brushing my teeth in the bathroom when Victor's voice waded down the hallway and through the house, giving out his so-called hackneyed speech of 'It is ten 'o' clock, and you all know what that means-you have five minutes and then I want to hear a pin dro-'

He was cut off by the abrupt trembling of the ground, and I dropped my toothbrush in both shock and being thrown around, toothpaste, water and spit, being drawn out of my mouth. I leaned over the sink slightly to empty its contents and just for a grip to hold on to.

But then that plan didn't work out well when the glass in the mirror shattered above my head, dug into my skin, and I fell backwards, hitting my head against the edge of the bathtub, a gasp escaping my throat before I blacked out.

I woke up that morning to see a pool of blood around me. Seeing the red liquid I instantly sat straight up, but then my vision blurred and I reached over to put my hand on something for support.

My hands found the edge of the bathtub and I hoisted myself up, wavering slightly, but then catching my balance. Turning towards the mirror I tried to make out my injuries-but then I realized the mirror wasn't there.

Glancing all around me, I remember the tremor/earthquake from last night and just then noticed the remnants of the glass from the mirror sticking sharply into my skin.

"Daaammmittt..." I dragged out the long cuss word as I tried to tug the glass out from my neck, but winced instead and let out a sharp 'OW!' and then instantly mentally kicked myself for the practical cry of help.

Wait, how long have I been in here anyway? It must still be the same night, at least? I mean, Fabian would've come looking for me when he noticed I was gone, right, wouldn't he? He seemed like that nice kind of worrying guy who would do that sort of thing.

But then again the divider just got put up, and he wouldn't have noticed my absence.

So what time was it anyway? Morning? Afternoon?

Okay, now I was getting ridiculous. If it was any of those times, somebody would _have _to notice I was gone and come get me now. Plus I had just screamed and everything.

I looked up and notified the swinging, flickering light dangling from the top of the ceiling and frowned slightly, focusing on it as an eerie whisper slid in and snaked around me.

"Alice…" I froze as goose bumps rose on my arms, and the oscillating of the light increased, turning frantic and flickering more as more words of some other people echoed throughout my mind, shadows of figures dancing at my sides as the original voice continued, "you're not safe…run…"

I was about to scream before an abrupt knock on the bathroom door pulled me out of my daze, and everything turned back to normal again.

"Hello? Anybody in there? Fabian? Alfie?" Jerome's voice called out, and I didn't even try and hold back the relief that washed over me when I noticed it was him. And then more knocks. "Hellooo? Alice? Hello-o-ooo?" He turned silent and then knocked harder, practically pounded on the door.

"Jerome?" I called out weakly, and there was a pause in the knocks.

"Alice?"

"No, Chuck Norris." I replied, but the exhaustion and pain inside of me drained the sarcasm out of my voice.

"What are you doing in there? You sound awful. Are you alright?" Worry slowly crept into his voice. Wait, since when was he to worry about _me? _I was _Alice_. The girl he was supposed was supposed to _hate_. Even though we had the same numbers in numerology and everything…that meant absolutely nothing, he didn't give a damn about any bitch around here except for Mara-except, he was sort of nice to me that one time about my parents…but why would I care about him either, considering how mean he was sometimes, but although, I had to admit, sort of cute…

I pulled myself out of my deep thoughts and remembered our conversation…through the door. What was it he had just said?

'_Are you alright?'_

Oh, yeah, right. Uh, _no._

"I-I don't know, to be honest…" My voice trailed off as I just noticed my blood-stained clothes and blood-tainted-skin-engraved hands.

"Alice?" The door handle jiggled, and I just then noticed that the dirty hamper basket had fallen in front of it, blocking the way. "Alice, open up. Alice!"

"I-I can't! It's stuck!"

"Well make it un-stuck!"

"I _can't!" _I growled, the sudden anger and stress making me dizzy again. I took a deep breath and tried again. "I'll _try_, I _guess_."

I started to bend down on my knees before the world blurred before me again, and then I took it slower, until I was officially bent down and able to move the hamper out of the way.

Luckily the basket was empty and therefore made it very light, and I pushed it over in ease, considering my condition.

The door practically burst open, causing me to fall back, almost blacking out again.

But a gasp caught my attention and I slightly looked up, pain written all over my face and a hand on the back of my head.

"Oh my God, what happened?" Jerome asked, rushing down to sit next to me.

"What the hell do you think, the damned earthquake happened."

"How long have you been in here?"

"How should I know! I've been knocked out the whole freakin' time!"

"We gotta get you to Trudy."

"No!" I replied a little-too-quickly. "I mean, it's okay, I'm fine." He looked at me non-believably. "I'm fine." I repeated in a softer voice.

His icy blue eyes locked with mine, and for a second, they seemed to melt, and then-

"No, you're not." He growled slightly, breaking the gaze and roughly tugging me up, but then releasing his grip on my arm lightly when I winced a little and muttered an 'ow'.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, just take me to wherever." I responded roughly and his hand curled around my bruised arm again as he pulled me out the door and down the hallway.

"Trudy!" Jerome called as we neared the entrance to the dining room. I hurriedly tried to pull my robe up to cover my bloody sleep pants and t-shirt, but he swatted my hand away as he pulled me through the doorway and into the room. "Trudy, we need your help!"

Everybody from the table glanced up and gasped when they saw me.

"Oh my God, what happened!" They all shot up at the same time and rushed over to us.

"Trudy, Alice got hurt during the earthquake."

"Oh my goodness gracious me, why didn't you come to me sooner!" Trudy showed up, hurrying from the kitchen, shaking her head slightly before trying to take me from Jerome without much success, but after a pointed look he let go and she guided me over to set me on the couch. "Sit there while I go get the first aid kit."

"Yup, okay, like that will help a _lot _and will make so many freakin' improvements."

All the people in this house were now adjusted, used to and able to ignore my snippy remarks and just crowded around me or strayed far away, worried and scared looks spread across their faces.

Well, at least it was better than them full-out ignoring and hating me.

After much convincing, I eventually got Trudy to let me go to school that day. I mean, anything was better then hanging out with that creepy caretaker Victor all day, right?

Anyway, I practically hid myself even more everywhere I went that day, a beanie pulled far and tight over my head to hide the bandage across my head to prevent my injury from bleeding again.

And if it wasn't already bad enough? I started to forget _everything _I had ever even known _ever _before I had shown up at the school.

Just. My. Luck

So the main people I avoided that day were, of course, the rest of the Anubis kids-_especially_ Jerome.

Although most of them wouldn't ever let me out of their sights, and I found myself walking down the hallway with Mara as she blabbered on and on about something to do with her campaign management for school representative. I couldn't care less. The only part I could catch was the last sentence she said about 'more magazines with Justin Bieber on them' before Alfie and Jerome burst through the doors, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her away from me.

"Mara, I was just gonna run this by you," Jerome started, still not releasing her arm as she gestured for me to come too, and when Alfie caught sight, he perked up a cutely pathetic 'hi Alice!' and dragged me along with them next to him. "Alfie's gonna be my…" He searched for the right word.

"Fall-out boy?" I muttered, and Jerome shot me a quick glare before finishing with the words 'kind-of assistant'.

"That sounds like a pretty bad idea, doesn't it?" Mara leaned up to Jerome and whispered through gritted teeth into his ear as he bent down, pondering this and her words slightly-or more trying to find a way around them and to convince her otherwise.

Alfie took out his camera phone and took a picture with it, murmuring the words, "Right, so…" _Snap._ "That'll be up on posters." I went up on my tip-toes (curse my shortness-but at least I wasn't as tiny as Mara-) to glance over his shoulder at what he had just captured in the lens, and before I knew it, laughter burst out from me.

"Oh, geez, Alfie, you're nasty!"

Jerome brought a hand up to cover his mouth so it would muffle his laughter as he caught sight of the photo, and Mara scoffed while she took the phone from Alfie and deleted it.

"Right. So, you, yes, you, _no_." She commanded, pointing at Jerome first and then Alfie second. "Sorry Alfie. Much as I love you, you're just, too…" She searched for the right words as she tried to break the news to a slightly-crushed Alfie, but I couldn't help but keep on laughing when Jerome held up an L next to his forehead, mouthing the word '_**LOSER'**_ all the while. "_Alfie _for my campaign. Sorry."

Alfie pouted as he got his phone handed back from Mara before she walked away, trying to catch up with some other loser friends to talk with about her campaign.

"Hmmm…" Jerome hummed sympathetically as Alfie disappointedly stuck his phone back in his pocket. "Sorry Alfie, either you got what it takes, or you don't." He held up his right index finger and thumb in the shape of an 'L' again. "Loser!"

"Yeah but did you hear that last bit?" I asked, referring to one of Mara's last sentences she said to him before she had gone away.

"Oh yeah. I think it was, 'Much as I love you'. _Me, _not _**you.**_" Alfie remarked, and we all glanced over to Mara and my gaze shunted back over to a proud Alfie, which couldn't make me help but grin because of his (but still half mine because I set him up to it, I guess) genius comeback.

"_**LOSER!**_" We both cried together, holding up 'L's.

"Alfie, isn't that Amelia Binches over there?" Jerome asked, gesturing towards the ugly, pimple-covered, hair-braided, brace-face chick herself who started waving spazztasically at the sight of Alfie.

Alfie quickly tried to turn away and hide himself as Jerome kept talking, "Y'know I think she could use some help in _her_ campaign-and _**you**_ nominated her! You know, I'm gonna call her over here, so-"

"Don't you dare!" Alfie growled but was ignored as Jerome quickly waved towards Amelia, and she ran in-between him and me to chase after a now retreating Alfie.

Jerome half-smirked half-grinned at his new accomplishment of making his best friend suffer once again, merely calling a little 'Laters Alfie!' much to the glare of the other poor guy before stepping around me without much as an 'excuse me' to get to Mara.

"Hey, Mara," He started, sliding his way in-between her and the long wall of lockers and looming in that one special way he did. I leaned against the wall nearby, suddenly interested on what his sudden next move would be, "how do you fancy going out for lunch with me somewhere off campus?"

"Are you…asking me out on a date?" Mara asked, sort of shocked and, *gasp*, was that happiness I saw set on her face?

Jerome shrugged a little, smiling slightly down at her, eyes soft and warm like the sparkling of melted winter snow.

The way he always was around her.

I had to force myself to look away, grit my teeth and get a hold of myself, shaking the look in his eyes out of my head before turning back to see Mara's reaction to him.

"Because I'm still trying to solve the whole Mick equation, which is complicated beyond-"

"Mara," Jerome cut off, good mood suddenly replaced with bad at the mention of Mick, as he placed his hands on her shoulders, hunching down to her shoulders, trying to look her in the eyes and get a hold of her attention. "Mick's a meathead. And look at you, your…bright and pretty." Hmm. Maybe Jerome was a sweetheart after all. But meathead? If a guy wants to get a girl, he should _not _call the other boy she still sort of likes a '_meathead_' in an attempt to get her to go out on a date with him. "And you've got a future-like me."

Oh, God, no, he just _killed _it right there. The mood was gone. Evaporated, and you could see the growing look of disgust, anger and hatred in Mara's face.

"Are you actually ready to throw all that away on a loser like Campbell?" Jerome finished off, and Mara glared at him.

"It's _school rep. _Not west minister of the White House." She retorted before starting to walk away

"Think small stay small!" He called to her retreating back and figure, desperately trying to get her to come back, to stay with him, and to just hear him and his offer out one last time. "I guess it's no to lunch then."

"I'll go on a date with you Jerome!" I called half-mockingly from the shadows, grinning as I moved up to stand next to him.

"Oh shut up, Alice." He growled, darkness taking over his features again.

I sighed slightly. "Look, I saw the whole thing, and to tell the truth, you're not a bad flirty guy." He looked over at me, eyebrows raised.

"Meaning…?"

I sighed slightly. _Again._ "What I'm _saying _is, if you wanna impress Miss Boring & Sensible over there, do not, and I repeat, do _not _insult Mick Campbell or whatever-his-face is."

"But why wouldn't I? I hate that freakin' low-life jerk."

"But Mara doesn't." He stopped and turned, looking at me full-on now, all attention towards me. "It's obvious she loves him-but it's also obvious it's just stupid, playful, mistreated puppy-love. The way you look at her holds something more deep and soulful and romantic. He's got quite the match if you would shape up to be."

"Okay, I'm listening."

I rolled my eyes, groaning inwardly on how stupid he was about this. "You're the great-o-mastermind-scheming-player, aren't you? You come up with something yourself! Plus, I still got a freakin' major bad concussion from this morning, so I'm out."

I started walking away before he called after me "WAIT!"

I stopped and turned around, tired. "What, Jerome?"

"Were you serious about going on the date with me?"

I smirked. "Bye." _No answer for you right now, boy._

Because I didn't know the true one myself.


	7. Chapter 7: Made Up Conversations

**MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

**Oh wait, it's not Christmas. WELL, it's almost like it is over here, what with the snow-drenched outdoors and no school the past day thanks to that.**

**But anywho, I decided to finally update this story, after, what, writing about up to five-million chapters ahead. (Really I'm not joking-I'm already on page 140, Chapter Twenty-Eight or something, although I'm altering the chapters and making them WAAAY longer than I usually do in this).**

**Anyway, though, PLEEEASE read and review, and I will not turn you into a frooog like Neville's in Harry Potter because I Am The Chosen One O.O not really Nina is BUT SERIOUSLY**

**BTW quick little shoutouts to TeamEdmundAndPeter-just quickly saying that yes, jerome is very, very hot XD and once again to gUardianAngeL742-thanks so much for mentioning my story in urs! im really glad u like it! and i like urs a lot too!**

**o nd did anybody else hear about how theres gonna be a new season o HoA? its called Sibuna Returns! when i found out i wuz squealing like amber in the finale. no joke.**

**ANYWAY ENJOY! :::DDD  
**

Chapter Seven

Made Up Conversations

Well, if I did have any idea who my parents were, and my mum decided to call me today after school, I guess this was how the conversation would go:

Mum: Hello sweetheart!

Me: Hey Mum!

Mum: So how was school today?

Me: Oh, you know, the usual stuff. Like how Alfie attacked our teacher because he thought she was some kind of alien-reptile-thing today in English Literature class. Typical.

I really don't know-apparently he had stayed up all night watching a sci-fi movie marathon-but I only found all this out when I walked in on him trying to put up some posters of Mara's head glued onto a super buff body.

So I had just been walking out of the girls' bathroom when a confident Mara strutted past me, followed by a confused yet somewhat amused Amber who told me I 'had to see the new campaign posters that somebody had put up of her'.

Right after they had left only one thing crossed my mind:

'_Lewis & Clarke'._

I still grinned at the irony as I headed down the hallway to where both of them stood, staring at some piled up campaign posters on the wall.

"Um, Alfie, not that I'm not lovin' your new style here, but what's up with the green rubber gloves and tin foil…?" I asked as I stopped besides them, and Jerome abruptly laughed, just noticing his strange attire himself.

"It's protection!"

"From Amelia Binches?" I asked somewhat sarcastically, and Jerome practically burst out laughing.

"Good one, Alice, I was about to come up with something like that myself."

"You wish." I smirked at him before turning back to Alfie to hear out his explanation about 'the aliens that were coming' or some non-sensible crap like that.

"Oh so _that _explains the all-night sci-fi movie marathon last night?" Jerome suddenly noticed, and I tried to muffle my laughter at the nerdy thought.

"Okay, whatever, dweebs, I'm heading off to class now-and you'd better tag along too, if you don't wanna be late."

Jerome strutted after me with the snide 'since when did you care about school, grades and classes, Alice?' remark as Alfie hesitated, put up another poster and then caught up after us.

I couldn't help but smile a little bit and thought that maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as I chalked it up to be.

But I would soon, once again, as always, be proven wrong.

I slowly strolled around the school during free period the next day, not interested in talking to or hanging out with anybody. It was just me and my music-until I got back inside, that is.

Once I was in I was almost instantly back out. I weaseled my way inside in the first place past some semi-tall yet still sort of short, well-built guy with blonde, shaggy hair who looked suspiciously like a dumb jock version of Rupert Grint.

But anyway, I turned on my heels to head back out the other side door on the far right before something caught my eye; Jerome and Mara.

I whipped my head back around, performing a killer double take as I watched them talk about something random. A smile slowly crept upon my face as I also remembered how he had claimed being guilty was 'an extraneous waste' yesterday, silently giving him props for slowly turning to be a nicer side of himself before I turned (both literally and mentally) away, now focusing my full attention on opening the door before some meatheads from the football team whished passed me, shoving me over along their way.

I fell backwards over my own two feet, preparing for my head to once again burst open and bleed out all its remaining contents on the ground before two strong arms caught me.

"Oof." I muttered slightly as my head made contact which must've been hard-core abs underneath a school uniform, and I looked up into the brown eyes of the blonde Rupert Grint I had seen earlier.

"Well you're welcome then."

I shot up out of his grip and adjusted my jacket slightly. "Thanks." I muttered as I brushed the dust off my shoulders. "Now, who the hell are you?"

"I could ask you the exact same question." He shot back, but couldn't help but muster up a wide smile.

"Okay, good: we both know absolutely nothing about each other, so let's just walk away and keep it that way."

I took a detour around him, totally forgetting about ditching next period and instead more interested in finding Jerome and asking him about his new moves he was making on Mara.

But when I couldn't find out where he was, I headed to my next best possible source.

"Hey, Amber, do you know where Jerome is?" I stopped the ditzy blonde in the hallway with my pressing question.

"Oh, yeah, sure, I think I saw him in the little hang-out comfy drama room over back there with Mara." She paused, glancing back giving me another look, frowning at me slightly. "Why? You're not developing a crush on him or anything, are you?"

I laughed shortly once before walking around to her go find Jara. "Your hair color _does _in fact match your personality perfectly, Ams."

Her frown grew larger as she turned to open up her locker, but soon lost attention again and called out "MICK!" and I whipped around to see the old, classic guy at Anubis house before me, and seeing him, my jaw dropped.

It was the **blonde **_**Rupert **__**Grint! **_

"No. Way." I gasped as I stepped closer until I was up by Amber's side, and they both turned to look at me. "_You're _Mick!"

"Yes." He smiled, hands in his pockets. "And I take it you are?"

I groaned inwardly. _Great_, I thought sarcastically to myself, _another stupid blonde_. "Alice."

"Ohhh, so _you're _the new girl." He grinned. "_That _explains it."

My eyes narrowed to slits as I growled, "Explains what?"

He looked slightly taken aback by my sudden snarl. "Um, w-why you're so…unique!"

"Oh whatever." I snapped, the points and rounded vowels in the words highlighting my English accent as I turned back around and headed into the drama room.

"It's not that bad." Jerome was trying to convince Mara of something as they sat on one of the couches in the drama room when I walked in. Some campaign management 'vote for Mara' poster was in his hand, and he narrowed his eyes to slits and then closed them. "if you just squint your eyes…and then shut them.

"It's okay." She gave in, looking slightly defeated. "Have you seen this?"

She reached into her bag and took out one of those dumb 'strong' Mara posters and handed it over to Jerome, causing him to laugh as he took it in his hands.

"You know, I thought it might be you posting these."

Jerome looked offended. "Oh credit me with a little bit of taste Mara."

"And better graphic design skills." I put in as I finally decided to drop by and sit in a chair close to them, letting my backpack fall to the floor as I sank back into the light lavender purple cushions.

"Yeah, it's so, _clearly _not you're body." We both laughed as Mara gave us looks.

"Okay, thanks, I think we've established that."

Jerome grinned as he decided to change the subject. "Anyways, let's talk policies, I-"

"Um…" Another new voice cut them off and we all looked over to see Mick standing there. "…hi."

"Mick!" Mara cried as she flung herself up off of the couch to envelope him in a hug.

Jerome's face crossed with disgust and annoyance as he thrust the poster aside on the sofa, refusing to look at them, but glancing back with a clear look of jealousy anyway.

Well, if this isn't an unexpected turn of event.

And it was also _so __**totally **__**unexpected **_that I just so happened to walk in on Mick and Mara snogging in the living room after school that day.

It all happened when I burst through the doors, screaming Elmo's World on the top of my lungs much to the dislike and yelling of 'HALT' from Victor up in his office, but then I instantly did stop when I walked in on the two of them.

"Woah, um, sorry, didn't know you two were…yeah."

They broke apart, slightly embarrassed. "Yeah…um…Alice, this is Mick, and Mick, this is-"

"Yeah, we met." We both cut Mara off at exactly the same time.

"Oh, but, um, sorry, a bit, I guess, Alice." I rose my eyebrows slightly as Mick rose to his feet, practically stumbling over them along with his words in an attempt to apologize. "We sorta got off to a bit of a rocky start."

"You do like to say 'a bit' a lot, don't you?" I teased, trying to lighten up the mood. "Anyway, it's cool. I'm a bitch to everyone at first."

Their eyes slightly widened at my use of cuss words.

"What, like you've never heard that kind of vocab before."

They still stared.

"Get out much, sheesh." My mood instantly darkened again as I walked into the kitchen, grabbed a bag of chips and then headed back out myself.

And I can't believe I just claimed _myself _to be the bitch.

I lay out on the couch in the living room, music blasting in my ears as I peacefully read Darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong for what must've been the millionth time.

That is, until Amber's little speech rudely interrupted me.

"Okay guys, I'm running for elections for school rep."

Oh geez, _this _was going to turn out good.

"Alfie, you're going to be my campaign manger." She continued as if she couldn't hear the sarcastic remark in my head-oh wait, she couldn't, because it was, indeed, a _thought._ Something she must be unfamiliar with.

I instantly grinned at my great comeback, wishing I had said it all aloud, _definitely _earning major appreciation points from Jerome and-

Wait, _Jerome_? Really? Again with the Jerome crap?

I sighed to myself as I attempted to turn my music up louder to drown out the noise, but not enough to cancel the words in their on-going conversation.

"Cool!" I caught Alfie grin. "Do you have a bikini?"

I snorted from where I was sitting, making people glance over at me in shock and confusion, as if just noticing I was there. Which, oh wait, they probably _just did_.

"Amber," Mara started, drawing all attention back to the table, "the other day you said you couldn't think of anything _worse _than being school rep."

"Yeah…well…" She trailed off, deep in thought-or at least as much in depth as an Amber could go. "I realized I'm the perfect choice. I hope I can depend on your vote Mara."

I winced-oh, ouch.

"You will _never _win against Mara and me!" Jerome cut in, defensive of his little crush, like always.

"Ha!" Alfie scoffed, rolling his eyes widely.

"Watch me." She smiled bitter-sweetly as she headed over to sit next to me, picking up a magazine and diving into the words on the page.

"Nice once." I whispered to her, offering my fist to bump.

"Thanks." She smiled back, then glanced down at my outstretched fist, and soon enough the look on her face turned to a frown as she got confused. "Um, what am I supposed to do with…?"

I sighed exasperatedly, all respect I had got for her now lost. "Oh, never mind."

"I just rented this from the DVD club;" Jerome started as he stood up at the table, holding a movie case in his hand while he moved around to the other side to sit next to Mara. I snickered quietly from the kitchen at his pathetic attempts to get her to notice and go out with him. "it is a comedy about a school election-do you fancy watching it, for a few tips?"

"Um…" Mara answered awkwardly, barely considering it before replying in a fake-enthusiastic voice. "yeah, maybe."

Soon all our attention was drawn to Alfie cheering on Amber as she tried to twirl a sparkly pink baton around in the actual living room area space.

"_What _is Amber doing?" Mara and I both asked in unison as I walked over to the doorway, confused and trying to think of a mordant remark to shoot back over to her.

"I have _no _idea, just ignore her." Jerome replied as he set the movie down, and I tried to suppress a laugh and instead just muttered 'nice Justin Bieber moment' as his voice cracked on the word 'her', causing him to glare at me as Mara continued talking.

"She makes it basically impossible!" Amber dropped the baton as she uttered these words and I couldn't contain my laughter anymore and instead burst out into tiny little fits of it as Mick walked into the room, causing me to stop and glance over at a now slightly peeved off Jerome.

"Hey Mara, fancy going on a walk?"

Jerome sat behind her, picking up and pointing at the DVD he rented, trying desperately and failing to get her attention as she asked, "Isn't supper almost ready?"

"Um, Trudy's gonna save some for us, come on…" He paused nervously, but still grinning like an idiot and practically jumping up and down before she stood up to get ready to go with him. "and…I got a surprise for you later."

"I thought we were gonna watch this later!" Jerome finally found his voice to cut in, and they both glanced behind them at him, as if just noticing he was there.

"Um…maybe!" And with that, 'Mack' or 'Mira' (whichever one, I couldn't care less-Jara was _wayyy _cuter, in my opinion) headed off on the start of their romantic evening, leaving a jealous Jerome behind.

"Don't worry, Jerome, I'll be willing to watch the movie with you." I said in a Patricia-like-sarcastic voice as I took a seat next to him where Mara once was, and he released his clenched fist to glare over at me.

"Shut up, Alice."

I shrugged a little and leaned back in my chair. "Hey, just trying to be kind."

"If you want to make yourself nice and useful then why don't you just go back to where you came from in the first place?" He snapped back, and I froze as my chair clunked back to the ground, his words hitting a sensitive, unprotected place in my heart.

"Well, I can't really remember where that was, but still, I would _gladly _be anywhere but here with you _**IDIOTS!**_" I turned and stormed off to go to my room, leaving a satisfied Jerome who once again called another mean remark to Alfie after the rest of the weird gang practically ostracized him.

"Aww, have you been dumped?" I could almost see the fake-pout overtaken by a greedy smirk on his face as he uttered those five words.

"You and me both pal." Alfie shot back in one of the darkest moods I had ever caught him in before he stormed past me and into his room.

Oh, man, I wish I could've seen his face for that one.

I headed down the hallway in the girls' dorm, preparing to try and sneak away to check out the attic before I head voices coming from Mara's room.

Both hers and Jerome's.

I instantly ducked to the side next to the open doorway, eavesdropping on what they were talking about.

Turns out Jerome had just walked in, and from when I peeked around the corner slightly into the room, I saw the slightly rejected, sorrowful look on his face as he half-heartedly held up the DVD he had rented and asked, "I thought we were gonna watch this movie together."

She turned away from the mirror, two dresses in each hand, just remembering their conversation earlier. I ducked behind to the wall again, to make sure she didn't see me-but luckily she didn't. "Oh, Jerome, I'm sorry…I didn't realize you meant tonight, you never specified."

I rolled my eyes and mimicked her stupidly oblivious (like always) response and he answered plainly, "I did."

"It's just that…with it being Mick's first night back and everything, he's planning something _romantic._" I looked back to see her grinning like a quixotic idiot, causing me to roll my eyes again as Jerome still kept the painful replies coming.

"So you and him are definitely, like…?"

"Back on, yeah." She finished for him as he trailed off, almost not believing what he was hearing-and obviously trying to avoid it and not to. She beamed like an idiot up at him as his eyes revealed all his pain and unbelief as he fell back on his heels slightly, jaw tightening as she continued with the another suggestion, "So…maybe we can watch the DVD another night, yeah?" She stared at him, eyes pleading and hopeful. "Tomorrow, maybe?"

"Sure." He responded blandly. "No problemo."

"'Kay." She answered almost silently, voice cracking with excitement as she turned back towards her mirror, considering the dresses again as Jerome turned away slowly, blinking a few times, pain expressed all across his face as he headed out the door.

My eyes widened as I hurriedly ran back a few steps silently, then walked forward, trying to act casual as he went past ahead of me, tearing down one of Mara's campaign election posters (the one that _he made_) on the way.

I bit back the 'ooo, intense, much?' comment rising up my throat as I got an even closer look at the look on his face. He really _was _hurt-and liked Mara _way _more than I had _ever _expected (and trust me, that was a lot). He had spent so much time building up his precious, precisely organized cold, hard, black brick walls, protecting his actually delicate heart only to have it torn down by some stupid chick who sent the dagger straight in without even knowing it, which was what he was trying to save himself from all along.

_She's not worth it, Jerome. _I imagined myself saying it, stepping up to him and placing my hand on his arm, and he would stop and glance down at me, smiling, eyes softening to warm, melting snowflakes in the glorious sun and then-

I snapped myself out of it and then instead teasingly asked, "Temper, much?"

"Shut up, Alice." He growled with the most hateful passion I had ever heard from him so far as he shoved the balled up election paper into my chest, and I took it, surprised as I glanced after his retreating back down the hallway.

"Sorry." I whispered, actually meaning it for the first time in my life.

Although he was already gone.

I headed down the stairs, lost deeply in thought before Jerome stomped back beside me, a determined, jealous look set on his face as he muttered an, "And oh, by the way, Lice, Campbell has taken his room back from you."

"Whaaa…" I trailed off silently, about to burst out running to my room to chew the guy's throat out before I ended up staying a little bit longer, lingering with my foot over the step below me as I watched him go over and knock on Victor's door to his office.

Victor glanced up from his magnifying glass over his studies or something (I swear, there was something seriously _wrong _with that dude…) before calling an 'enter!' to him strictly, and then adding, "This better be important."

"You could say that." Jerome shrugged slightly as he slid his hands into his back pockets. His voice was hard and cold as the ice in his eyes as he continued, "I just wanted to have a word about fire hazards."

I shook my head slightly, trying to ignore how hot I sort of thought he sounded as I headed back down the stairs, taking two at a time before replacing my little, greedy half-smile with a scowl as I stalked over to 'my' room.

"You know you're not the _only _one staying in this room, right?"

Mick glanced up, confused as he finished setting the candles on a table set out in the middle of the room, and I instantly put two and two together. Mara+Mick+Candlelight Dinner In His Room+A Jealous Jerome Who Spotted It=Him Telling Victor.

I tried to cover the astonished smirk-like-grin as I thought '_genius_' and instead focused back on him, glaring and growling again as he replied, puzzled, "Um, yeah, my mate Fabian is my roommate too."

"Yeah, I know your 'mate' Fabian, I'm not _stupid, _I've already been here for about a week now." I nodded towards his dresser, cluttered with some of my many things that I had yet to unpack yet. "And while I've been staying here, where do you think I've been sleeping, the couch?"

I scoffed. "As _if_. Seems the girls aren't the only one in this house who have ever switched roommates." He stared at me, as if the answer could be unscrambled in my hard, emotionless face and tone of voice, still even more confused than before.

"What?" He asked stupidly, and I groaned inwardly, not bothering to hide the expression of boredom now appearing across my face.

"You see those items and your own desk, don't you?" I snapped, and he turned around and moved over to them.

"Oh, yeah, hey, do you know why these are here? They aren't mine. I've never seen them before in my whole lifetime in this house so I supposed they were somebody else's that they put here to store for a while or something."

"Go figure." I rolled my eyes as I walked forward, my combat boots making a 'clunk, clunk' sound as they hit the ground, the chains dangling across my skirt clinking together as I took a stance next to him. "They're _mine_."

I held up the photo with the brown-haired boy in it, pointing a finger over the edge of the picture frame on a younger, thirteen-year-old me standing next to him.

"_Oooh…" _He muttered to himself, finally now getting it. "Well, can you find somewhere else to stay now?"

"Yeah, like maybe another house?" Jerome's snide voice came from the doorway, and I whipped my head around to see him standing there, smirking against the doorframe, leaning against it with his arms crossed.

"Shut it, Clarke." I growled, and Campbell glanced over confusingly.

"Clarke? As in Jerome?" He looked all around and then back at me, speaking slowly as if I was an idiot. "He's not anywhere near here."

"But-" I started as I turned to him and then back again, seeing Jerome's smirk growing wider into a frightening, evil grin as his eyes glowed a blood red before I realized the dark, black-aura-like shape lapping around him before he sort of just, like, disappeared, leaving a trace of the mist-like-smoke behind.

But I couldn't smell it. I couldn't taste it, and I couldn't touch it.

What. The. Hell.

**Soo? Whada-ya-think? Little supernatural mystery thing goin' on, eh? XD Do ya'll like it! I hope so. Well, if you do or don't, leave me a comment anyway and YOU GEEET eeerrrr...ummm *tries to think*...uh...i cant think of anything right now so I DO NOT OWN HOUSE OF ANUBIS or darkest powers or the whole apple-itunes-itouch company or anything else in this chapter tht is obviously...well...not mine i guess u culd say BUT ANYWAY YA R&R BYE :D**


	8. Chapter8Memories,Secrets&Secret Passages

**Heeey guyyyz XXXDDD**

**SO here's Chapter 8 of House of Supernatural! I'm probably gonna take a hiatus from writing and just space out posting for a while. Plus I'm "mad" at my mom because she keeps calling Jerome a pretty boy =/ (well i guess he is "pretty" nd he is a boy XXXDDD jk he is cute tho lmfao). nd o i guess rite now quick disclaimer for the rest of the story unless i forget again: I DO NOT OWN HOUSE OF ANUBIS or any of the characters or storyline or egyptian mythology or numerology or books or apple itunes company thing or any songs or bands or singers mentioned or actors or movies or other shows or...ya well u get the point.  
**

**BUT ANYWAY two more quick but not really shout outs:**

**gUardianAngeL742-lmfao ikr my mom and i usually make fun of him ALL the time for looking like rupert grint XD nd he acts like him too! (well ron anyway) what with his horrid dancing and eating nonstop all the time...but anyway XD nd aww thx again im glad u really like it nd of course ima gonna keep writing i hope these upcoming chapters explain more about what 'alices deal' is haha XD  
**

**omgromance-thank you and haha thanks for the tip thatd be so funny! i might just use that, and give you full credit, of course XD but im gonna have her move into some other ppls room later on but i still mite use it and fit it in anyway and yeah after i finish with the whole show-plot-storyline-thing im going to launch head first into my own little storyline.**  
Chapter 8

Eyes Leading To Memories, Secrets And Secret Passageways

"Alice?" I snapped out of my trance and glanced over at Mick.

"Huh, what?" I asked, then cleared my throat, shaking the strange situation out of my head. "Oh, sorry. Um…you can have the room, yeah, go ahead, I guess."

"No, no, it's okay, you can until we figure stuff out. Can I just…use it for the night."

I tried to muster up a smile and settled on a tight, plastic, Nina one as I glanced up at him, nodding a little bit, still not able to rid the black-aura-surrounded Jerome from my head. "Sure."

He grinned at me. "Great. Now could you, uh…" He nervously gestured towards the door and I smacked the side of my head.

"Oh, yeah, um…silly me, haha. I guess I'll just…go then." I cleared my throat again as I headed out, shutting the door behind me and calling, "Have fun!"

As soon as the door was closed I turned and leaned against it, slowly sliding down it with my eyes shut, hands brought up to my face.

That _thing_…that _shadow _Jerome…what _was _that…?

"Alice?" A voice suddenly pulled me out of my daze and I jumped up to see Mara standing there, confused and all fancied up in some-(in my opinion)-pretty freakin' ugly Grandma-like dress.

"Oh, hey!" I tried to smile but couldn't so instead sighed and let my dark mood take me over once again.

"Are you alright?" She asked, partially concerned. "You look really pale and terrified, like you'd just seen a ghost or something."

I paused, considering her words before replying with 'something like that' and then walking away.

_Something like that._

It _had_ to be something like that. Or, no, nothing at all. There were no such thing as ghosts. _No. Such. Things._

Right?

Right.

"Right!" I muttered quietly to myself, but it turned into a 'gah!' sort of sound when Victor's shoulder collided with mine as he walked past, a smug Jerome in tow.

What was going on with him?

Oh yeah. The plan to rat out on 'Mickara' or whatever with the candles.

I tried to ignore the jolt of electricity, happiness and fear I got when I saw Jerome waltzing past me. He was his normal self-quirky and somewhat but still in no control of his actions, never thinking them through, just being…him.

But that's all I wanted him as.

So I stood back and watched with interest as Victor chewed up Mickara and then spit them back out about how 'candles were prohibited' in the house or something like that, while Jerome leaned back on his heels in the hallway, smirking with a 'yeah, that's right, take that bitch' sort of expression written across his face.

I smirked myself and crossed my arms and Victor stalked past after me while the door slammed and Mick and Mara laughed while the extinguished candles' smoke drifted around them.

"Well, he really hates candles." I heard Mara say, and they laughed more and Jerome mimicked her as he turned on his heels and walked down the hallway, shoulders slumped slightly and disappointed although not willing to show it.

"Nice move, Clarke." I commented as he walked past, and he glared at me. "Although, I don't think a girl would fancy you after you ruined her perfect evening with her even more perfect boyfriend that you could never in fact even be as perfect as."

"Coming from the girl who has no boyfriend herself." He shot back, and I winced slightly before pulling my own totally neutral expression over my face as well.

"I'm not interested in love." I replied blandly, and he stopped, hand on the little sphere on the top part of the railing a few steps off the ground of the 1st floor, looking back and staring down at me, eyebrows furrowed together in confusion and concentration, as if studying me again, trying to find out who I was by just…staring.

I played my words over again in my mind and laughed bitterly before correcting, "No, actually, in fact, I don't really _believe _in love." I shrugged a little as I adjusted the black, leather glove with thumbholes on my hand as I slowly turned to him. "It's just…I dunno…a total, complete waste of time." I glanced up at him to see his expression hadn't changed, which made me snap, "I'm not a textbook, Clarke, so stop checking me out."

I paused as I reconsidered what I just said before a grin broke over my face and I started cracking up. "Oh, my God, that's _so __**PUNNY!**_"

A smile slowly broke over his face as he realized it himself, a startled laugh leaving his lips as his eyes softened up slightly and I continued, "I didn't even notice that until I had actually said it!"

"Wow, Alice. Just wow." He shook his head slightly as he went down the steps to sit down next to me on the bottom one. "That was an-"

"Amber moment, yeah?" I cut him off, and he laughed again.

"I was actually gonna say blonde, but, yeah, that works quite as well-fits even more, actually."

I grinned as I reached over and twirled one of his locks of hair around my finger. "Yeah, but then you'd be insulting yourself if you had gone with your original plan, anyway."

He smiled a little before admitting, "Well, actually, before Nina showed up-and a little time while she was here, actually-my hair was fully bleached blonde."

I considered it for a second and then just _burst _out laughing at the thought. "What's so funny?" He asked offensively. "I'm not joking! It used to be really quite a little bit longer and swept across my face in a killer, _gorgeous _windswept look, actually."

I shook my head a little, still laughing. "You say actually _too _much, Clarke."

"Please," He started as he held out his hand towards me, the other one placed over his heart, "call me Jerome."

I smiled and took his hand in my own, shaking it, trying to ignore the fact of how soft and smooth they were, and how much I liked it, and how much I really-in fact, _loved_-the rush of electricity that ran up my arm at his touch and-

An abrupt, blood-curdling scream made as tear our hands apart and stand up, glancing around, trying to find the source of it.

"Woah, déjà vu…" He muttered to himself quietly, obviously reminded of some strange event that had occurred before in this even stranger house.

"**Who**-or _what-_was that!" I asked, trying to work out possible answers and situations and scenarios in my head when Jerome bluntly answered with one single name:

"Alfie."

We both glanced at each other and tore off running towards the dining room, bursting through and then over to a panting Alfie in the kitchen, leaning against the counter, surrounded by a slightly disappointed Nina, Amber, Patricia and Fabian.

"Alfie, buddy, are you alright!" Jerome asked as he shot forward to grasp Alfie's shoulders.

Alfie nodded slowly, then abruptly gasped again, shaking his head wildly as he brought a hand up to his face, grasping it, as if trying to rid a memory from his mind.

Which was probably _exactly _what he was doing.

Jerome wheeled on the others, glaring as Alfie leaned against him, still trying to catch up and control his breathing as Clarke spat, "What did you guys do to him!"

"We didn't do anything!" Fabian cried in response, bewilderment written all across his face.

"Yes, you did!" He accused, anger and fear for his best friend obvious in his eyes. "Just like how you traumatized him after his trip to the cellar!" His eyes darted to some broken down stove next to the ordinary one, and then his voice turned to drip pure venom as he continued, "Did you take him back down there again?"

They all glanced at each other nervously before stating in chorus, "No!"

He glared at them before turning back to Alfie, his eyes softening as he kept his arm wrapped around him protectively, as if he could shield him from all the hurt in the world while he turned and towed him outside the room. "Come on, mate, let's get you out of here and back to our room."

Alfie nodded weakly, just about to calm down as Jerome turned his head back around and barked towards me, "Alice, take his other side!" and I rushed forward to help, draping my arm across the slouching, young, memory-stricken boy's back and onto one of Jerome's shoulders.

Before we left I glanced back at the stove they were all identifying now and earlier, frowning slightly as my eyebrows furrowed together in concentration, and I just noticed some kind of weird eye engraved inside a circle on it.

_Now where had I seen that before…?_

I gasped slightly as I whipped my head around, seeing the same design on the side of the stairs and then back in the room at the weird, odd Sibuna-'necromancy-and-dark-magic'-worshiping group to see them all nervously glancing at me, and I just noticed the necklace hanging from Nina's neck.

It was the exact same symbol.

I turned back around as I continued helping Jerome take Alfie to their room, trying to make sense of it all.

No way this was a coincidence-there was something seriously secret-like and sinister going on in this house.

And I was definitely about to go try and find it out.

Alfie crashed just as soon as he had fallen onto his bed in his and Jerome's room. I turned around slowly as I took in the whole look of it.

The two sides looked almost exactly the same, but not really at the same time. Alfie's side was a _mess-_cluttered with alien, supernatural and paranormal posters, books, and articles everywhere, homework and textbooks, papers, and a practically destroyed, turquoise-sheet-covered bed. His sleeping head rested on his wide, fat, white pillow as he almost fell off multiple times to roll and crash to his mirror, which would cause a chain reaction and knock down all his precious family and friend pictures and such.

Jerome's side had practically nothing. Just a simple little bed with a small pillow on it in front of the real one that he actually used-but I liked the tiny one, for it had a British flag pillowcase drawn over it.

Quilts were draped over his bed and on it was a magazine or two that he hadn't quite gotten to finish yet. There was a bedside table with a lamp and some neatly stacked books, although looking like they were still about to fall over. There were random pictures of countries and maps set up in glass frames across the otherwise plain, white wall above his bed. A tie or two hung from a hanger on the wall, and a laptop in sleep mode was set on his desk on the other side, against the window, along with a stacked full wardrobe next to it.

"Finish surveying yet?" Jerome's voice sarcastically asked, and I turned to see him leaning against the wooden post at the end of Alfie's bed.

I cleared my throat and shrugged a little. "Yeah, uh, whatever, but…" I was about to ask 'where are all the pictures of your family and friends?', considering everyone else's rooms were stocked _full _of them (I mean, seriously, even _I _had a few of my own friends and 'families) before I remembered.

He raised his eyebrow as he got up off the post and walked over to me. "But what?"

I cleared again, averting my eyes and muttering a 'nothing' before turning and heading out the door.

"Alice, uh, wait a second." I stopped and turned to see him hesitating slightly before continuing, "Thanks…for tonight. I don't get to talk to people like that often."

I shrugged a little. "Neither do I."

Then I was off.

Even though I wished I could've stayed.

"Budge over." Jerome ordered as he pushed me out of a seat in the drama room the next day and sat down in it.

"A simple 'excuse me, could I have that seat' would've done fine, don't you think?" I asked as I brushed myself off from the floor and stood back up, grabbing my book bag along with me as I searched the room for another open seat to find none.

"But you wouldn't have settled for that, would you?" He asked, giving me a look, and I considered for a brief second before shrugging and giving in.

"Yeah, probably not." He smiled at me, causing my heart to skip a beat before I abruptly spun around and decided to take a seat next to Mick on the couch practically right behind me.

"Oh, anyway, you're just angry because of what happened last night with M-"

He cleared his throat, interrupting with an 'uh, Alice…' and nodding towards Mick on the couch, studying a piece of paper in his hand while eating a sandwich.

"Oh, right," I winked at Jerome and finished off with a 'gotcha' before taking a seat next to Mick and turning my attention him. "So, _Mick_, how are you today?"

"Oh, fine, I guess, thanks for asking."

I shrugged a little. "Cool. And I am not, so thanks for _not _asking." He barely paid any attention to me as I continued, "So, unstoppable eating habits, I see? Can you not dance either, _Ronald Weasley?"_

Abrupt laughter burst from Jerome and Mick shot a quick glare over to him before he shut up, turning away slightly as he rose a hand to his mouth, muttering a muffled 'sorry', still trying to contain his laughter but unable to as Patricia caught in from her seat across the room and burst out with uncontrollable laughter also.

"Oh, God, Mick, you just got _pwned _by the Gothic new girl." I grinned at her as Jerome starting laughing with her again and Mick's mood worsened.

"So, Alice, when can I have my room back then?"

I turned my new, sudden overtaken glare on him as I replied, "If that's gonna be your attitude, then how about…never?"

Jerome chuckled slightly as he muttered 'buy a mattress or sleep on the couch' in the tone for that stupid American commercial from some kind of mattress store.

Patricia laughed slightly at his joke, pointing at him and saying 'good one!' as I cut both them off myself and corrected, "No, no, you got it all wrong-it's: Sleep Country Canada! Why buy a mattress in the USA, aye?"

The three of them (yes, Mick included) cracked up and I grinned at the old inside joke between some of my old best friends and me.

_Some of my old best friends…_

A sudden image flashed before my mind of a group of kids around my age, thirteen at the time, crowded around me in what we claimed as 'the living room' in an actual abandoned warehouse-thing that we had settled in.

"_So, Alice, you all for it?" Marissa asked as she settled down in a seat across from me, and I glanced back over the flyer for an upcoming dance battle again._

"_I dunno. Y'all know I'm not the kind of gal to go out to an organized dance-off. I'm more of a spur of the moment freestyle kind of girl." Some of them looked at each other and shrugged, the others looking at me and bursting out laughing at my use of now adapted Texas slang._

"_What! She did it to me!" I cried, pointing to Anna accusingly._

"_Huh!" The half-British, half-Texas-born-and-partially-accented girl asked as she glanced up from her compact mirror. "Hey, don't blame me for adapting the worst possible skill possible to gain from me!" She glanced at me outfit. "And, sheesh, we all __wish __that it would've been my fashion sense."_

_Everyone rolled their eyes but then laughed slightly, not able to help not thinking that this crew wouldn't be the same or __nearly __as humorous without or fellow, special (ED *cough cough* :D) and only prep._

"_I think we should DEFINETLEY go for it." Jake spoke up, practically bouncing with anticipation, making me think I had never seen him this happy or excited-unless he had just made a bet._

_My eyes narrowed as I focused my gaze in on him, another well-need-and-practiced rehearsal for my well-needed and hopefully soon classic, memorable killer death glare. "You didn't bet money or, oh, I dunno, perhaps __PEOPLE __on this dance-off or anything, right, Jake?"_

_He looked slightly taken aback and stuttered, "N-no, not at all! I __SWEAR__!"_

_We all sank back, considering it before giving in and agreeing._

"_Okay, so," I clapped my hands together as I stood up, gathering everyone's attention-although I was the latest member of the crew, I was already the leader and everyone listened to me and what I had to say. "let's get started to the practice room!"_

_Everybody called out cheers as they headed up the stairs, and I grinned as I bounced after them._

But back then I was narrow-minded and oblivious, not noticing that Jake had in fact bet on something.

Only he hadn't bet on money.

He bet on me.

**Sooo? Whada ya'll think! Wow i just finished off with saying this last chapter too =/ BUT ANYWAY lmfao pppllleeeaaassseee read and review and i will be so freakin' GRATEFUL and did u like the little insight on some of alices past? gonna include even more in the nxt chapter XD hope it wuznt too confusing DX and usually i have all these markings with stars and stuff signaling the end of my super short chapters or going to another scene or something uk but when i post it the website usually cuts them out and leaves em sorta confusing so sorry for tht DXD but anyway ya u culd also read the little space marks if u see them one at a time jst for chapters nd review tht and id understand or somethin...ya idk BBBYYYEEE XXXDDD**


	9. Chapter 9: Past Revealed

**Heeey guys XXXDDD so this is my second time creating this AN tonight because I accidently clicked on a different link to _another _sight RIGHT when i was about to finish this...*EXASPERATED SIGH* or howeva u spell it BUT ANYWAY DXD i felt like posting something again tonight AKA MORE AKA _ANOTHER CHAPTER_ because itd make me feel accomplished XXXDDD plus i hate the number 8 =/ lmfao ANYWAY so ya i guess the title for this one is sort of misleading though because not _ALL _the past is revealed just jeromes that we all already know lmfao XD and a little bit of alices, like who the "brown-haired boy" is that is mentioned so much XXDD but anyway rofl thx to TeamEdmundAndPeter for commenting again and lmfao uh, idk, the character? XD nd also thx to sky651 for ur comment (wait were u lafing at something i said or TeamEdmundAndPeter's comment-which is wuz i thought at first-jst to clear stuff up a bit XXXDDD) nd for also favoriting my story nd THX TO EVERYONE ELSE WHO HAS FAVORTIED IT TOO nd subscribed to it nd me as an author XXXDDD it really makes me ecstatic.**

**BUT ANYWAY READ AND REVIEW PLEASEEE AND ILL GIVE YOU A FREE CAN OF LAVENDER PRINCESS FABREEZE OR HOWEVA U SPELL IT (i used to get in a 'fight' with one fo my old bffes about it cuz she thought it wuz spelled tht way but i thought it wuz spelt some different way but i cnt remember now nd i also cnt remember wut the past tense of spell it...?)**

**DUN DUN DUNNN ok ill cut off nd just let u read now XD**

Chapter Nine

Past Revealed

"Studying before classes?" Mara's voice snapped me out of my flashback, and I glanced over to see her talking to Mick as he glanced up from his paper and smiled at her, food stuck in his teeth. I partially suppressed an eye roll and glanced away as she continued, "Okay, what have you done with my boyfriend?"

My eyes landed on Jerome to see him glance away slightly, teeth gritted and hand curling up into a fist. I frowned slightly, feeling bad for him as Mick replied saying something that I couldn't care less about and just ignored instead.

"Millington, Millington, Millington…" Classic cheerleader shouts, lightly accented by British accents carried down the hallway and into the room as Mara asked 'what is that?' and they headed out to see what it was. Patricia glanced over her shoulder slightly but then looked back to her iPod carelessly, and Jerome looked down curiously at an envelope that had fallen from Mick's jacket before he picked it up and shoved it surreptitiously shoved it into his pocket before following them, me trailing after him.

"Nice ninja skills, there, Steve Terada."

"Shut up." He muttered at me before focusing his attention to the stupid cheerleaders, uh, _cheering_ at the end of the hall with everyone else watching, while Amber did flips and backhand springs down to us before finishing right before our eyes and fixing her purple and white uniform with a silver, glittery 'A' stamped on it.

"Vote Millington, better be Willing-ton." She said simply to us, slightly brushing her hair back to fix her matching, silver-sequined headband before strutting past us with the rest of her squad. Everyone glanced on in disbelief as I scoffed and rolled my eyes. Classic stupid dumb blonde prep, I thought as I turned to sit on the armrest where Patricia's feet were resting.

"Okay, Amber," Mara started as she walked up to face her, both Mick and Jerome behind her on either side. "what are your actual policies: haircuts, short skirts, and mandatory 'chillax' periods? Because, and I quote, 'who needs classes anyway'?"

I couldn't help the abrupt laugh that left me as all our short attention spans were drawn to Amber's election poster on the wall that said exactly that before she said back, "I see my message is really getting through to you; want a button?"

I snorted at her oblivious stupidity and instead muffled the laughter in my sleeve as I cleared my throat, composed myself and continued to watch the developing fight.

"This is a chance for us to really make a difference!" Mara cried, waving towards the gathering crowd, causing Jerome to glance down and smile approvingly and proudly down at her. "Who's fed up with having textbooks dated back to 1987!"

"M-A-R-A," Patricia started to call out in a chant, and Jerome and I (what! I was bored-and as much as Mara pissed me off, I could never, ever let the classic prep win, even if she wasn't mean like they usually were or anything) joined it, both of them lifting one of their hands as they finished off, "MARA!"

Mick glanced away embarrassingly as Amber came back, "Who set out with the mirrors and the bathroom making you look like a horror show?" I muttered an 'ooo' as the cheerleaders yelled 'WOO!' and then Amber added, "And by you I mean you, Mara." I raised my eyebrows in a 'WOW she just sort of ruined that there by stating the obvious' sort of way, even though the dumb cheerleaders lifted their arms and yelled 'WOO!' yet again.

And was I the only one that saw Mick smile at that?

"Who's fed up with listening to people who actually have nothing to say."

"Who's sick of living in the same house of the school's classic stupid boyfriend-snatcher?" Amber snapped back in such an angry, British-accented voice that I was sure I misinterpreted what she had said.

The preps in the background simply snapped their fingers as everyone fell back with a silent 'ooh it's over now, she won' while Jerome swung his jacket down from his shoulder, teeth gritted together and frustration along with the need for revenge set across his face.

"You know what? We all know the truth, Amber. You're only running for school rep because you're jealous that Mick likes me far more than he EVER liked YOU!"

Jerome shifted uncomfortably, plain hurt, sorrow and the reminder of the painful memories of Mickara crossing his mind as he glanced down, hands going limp as his jacket swung lifelessly.

"I'm not sure I ever said that." Mick hesitated only slightly as Mara looked wildly around, mouth slightly agape in shock, bewilderment and hurt as my jaw also dropped, along with Mara's and almost everybody else's in the room and I swung my hand up to my mouth to muffle my 'OOO!' because, oh my God, she just got so embarrassed and pwned and just flat out killed just right there!

Amber bounced back slightly on her feet, trying to hide her smile at the thought of her and Mick getting back together and Jerome tried to fight one as well, either wondering if he should be upset or happy for hurting Mara.

Patricia and I shared a look as the bell rang and we both got up to get to our next class, meeting up with Nina and Fabian along the way, and all was going fine until we stumbled across Alfie.

He was sitting at a desk alone in an empty classroom, head in one hand, a distressed, restraining look written across his face.

We all glanced at each other before heading in and sitting all around him, Nina on the desk, Fabian leaning against the one in front of him and Patricia pulling up a chair as I simply kneeled down in front of him.

"Alfie," Nina started as we all settled down. "are you okay?"

"Last night in the cellar," Alfie started, and I slightly leaned back, taken aback as I looked over at all of them, but they barely seemed to notice me as they leaned in closer and focused on his words and I merely thought 'so they HAD gone down to the cellar-Jerome was right. But how did they get there?', and then the little black, old, antique stove crossed my mind, but I quickly marked it to check back on later before shaking it out of my mind and turning back to Alfie myself.

"I remembered." He continued hatefully. "I remembered everything."

"What did you see down there?" Patricia asked what we were all thinking.

"Mr. Sweet…Mrs. Andrews…" His voice trailed off as he named some of the teachers and the others looked at each other, shock and realization dawning down on them while I was left in confusion. "Mr. Winkler….and some other people. They were…chanting…and they mentioned…'The Chosen One'…" He chose the words carefully themselves, as if he barely understood what they meant-which he probably didn't, just as much as I did.

Nina blinked and leaned closer as Alfie continued, "Victor drank from a skull and…it was horrible!" He shuddered at the memory and then hurried to continue with apparently a very important and scary bit of information, "And one was in a mask! A dog mask!" His voice quickly turned more distressed as he spoke, "That's what I dream of. That face just…staring at me! Coming for me!"

He lifted his other hand to his face to help hide the tears he was trying to prevent from falling by squeezing his eyes shut, and Patricia placed a hand on his shoulder as she spoke soothingly to him, "Alfie, it's okay!"

Nina turned to Fabian, ignoring Alfie's hyperventilation as she told him, "I bet I know what he was drinking out of that skull."

He locked his eyes with hers and finished, as if reading her mind, "The elixir."

Alfie and I both glanced up at them. "What elixir?" We both asked in sync.

Fabian didn't even look at me as he answered Alfie, saying, "It's a potion they make-it keeps you young."

"Who is they!" I demanded as I stood up. "The teachers!"

"Ankh?" Alfie asked as I hadn't spoken, and they all sat up in interest. "That was another word."

"The Cup of Ankh." Nina spoke aloud to herself, realization dawning on her before she whipped around to face Fabian. "That's the cup that gives you immortality, right?"

"Immortality?" I repeated, now beginning to become scared out of my mind.

They all whipped around to face me, as if noticing me for the very first time and they all gasped in unison, blubbering to come up with an excuse before Amber cut in.

"Uh, hello, very important stuff to discuss." She said as she walked up to us, hands swinging at her side. "So, I've only got twenty-four hours to make sure I win the election factor, hands up: who's gonna help me make Mara lose?"

Nobody replied and it was completely silent in the room as she scoffed and continued, "Some club! You people are so unsupportive! And this could really be my one chance to shine! Thanks. And oh, by the way Alfie, you're fired."

She jabbed her finger accusingly at him, reminding me much of Donald Trump as he slumped against his arms on the desk while Amber strutted back out, but then stopped and turned again to ask me, "And since when were you in Sibuna, anyway."

I shrugged a little, then replied sarcastically while giving the rest a pointed look, "Well, I am into necromancy, I guess."

They all glanced at each other, worried, not sure what to tell me and not able to find any excuses this time.

But then people started to pile into the classroom and the chance to find the truth evaporated as we all sat down and had to get ready to class, although all I could do was run over their words in my mind.

Ankh. Immortality.

What did this all mean?

I guess it was time to ask my favorite eavesdropper at the school.

"Hey, where's Jerome?"

"It feels like we've hit a dead end!" Okay, not exactly the answer I had been hoping about Jerome's whereabouts, but still interesting, and I glanced up to see Fabian and Nina sitting in front of me and leaned closer slightly, deciding to furtively eavesdrop as he continued, "No more clues to go on except for the ever so-helpful 'listen to the voice'!"

"What clues?" I asked, and they jumped to turn and look at me, and I continued angrily, "What voice!"

They cleared their throats and looked away, and I raised my voice and lowered it to a deadly tone at the same time, "You have to tell me what's going on, or else I'll run on to the teachers that you mentioned and tell them all about all that I know about this 'Cup of Ankh' plus 'Elixir of Life' equals 'Immortality' think and how you know about it all!"

They glanced at each other nervously before Fabian turned to me bravely and asked snidely, "And that would be?"

I leaned back, nostrils flaring and defeated as they turned back and started murmuring even quieter amongst themselves again that I had to strain my ears to listen but not speak up. Nina had sighed hopelessly and then muttered the suggestion, "What if it means listen to Sara's voice-on the cylinders?"

"Do you want to do it now-"

"No!" Nina instantly interrupted him, cutting him off as she placed his hand over his as he started to reach inside his bag for something while I sat up, trying to peer over to see what it was before Nina glanced back at me and I hurriedly tried to cover it up by switching my glance over to the board and pretending to copy something down on my piece of paper.

Nina slowly turned to him, saying, "We have to listen to them on the phonograph."

Fabian and I both gave her a confusing look. "Why?"

She hesitated slightly before replying, "I think that's why I was drawn to the attic after my visit with Sara."

'Who is this Sara chick?' I thought quietly to myself in my head as Fabian asked teasingly, "Ahh, is it one of your feeelings?"

"Yes, but do you have to say it like that every time: 'feeelings'?" Nina mimicked his tone of voice and I had to bring a hand up to my face to muffle my slight laughter as Fabian actually did fully burst out laughing before Mrs. Andrews called us to her attention as she attempted to quiet down everybody and start the class.

"Where is everybody?" She asked as she glanced around and placed her bag on her desk, and I was thinking almost the exact same thing with a 'yeah, where's Jerome?' as I glanced around the room and she continued with her ordered instruction, "Page 62, please."

"Sorry I'm late, Miss," A voice called from the doorway, and my head snapped over to see Jerome standing there, back to the door as he slowly backed up to close it and finished off, with a wink towards Mara, "campaign business."

Mara looked at him confusingly, her look questioning as Jerome took his seat in front of Amber, glancing back at her and laughing slightly silently before turning back around, swinging his backpack strap back off over his shoulder as he turned to his work in front of him on his desk next to a still, slightly disgruntled looking Alfie.

'Oh no, Clarke, what have you done'?

The unthinkable.

Unless this was some crazy-ass, soap opera, drama, romance, comedic mystery show on TV, and then it would be obvious that he had posted up dirty campaign pictures to ruin Amber's chances of becoming school representative.

Which was exactly what he did.

***  
As soon as the bell rang we all headed out of the classroom, one by one to find pictures of an old, embarrassing school photo of Amber with pimples all over her face and pink-fat-rimmed glasses resting over her eyes along with split-end, greasy blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail and a totally nerdy outfit on. Across the top 'VOTE AMBER', was written, and I instantly glanced over to see a smirking, proud and sort of hot Jerome leaning against the wall, greed and victory glazing over his icy blue eyes.

I stood in-between Alfie and Patricia, cracking up along with them as Nina stood off to the side, not amused and instead worried of Amber's reaction-which, if I may say, was actually sort of sad to see when she walked out of the classroom, freezing as her perky smile slowly faded from her face.

"What's wrong, Amber?" Jerome asked in a mockingly, venomous sarcastic voice as Amber walked forward to get a better view at the pictures of her horrid childhood. "Don't like people seeing you before all the acne medicine and braces?"

I couldn't help but grin at his clever remark as Amber ripped down one of the posters right next to a grinning Jerome who continued, as she stared down at the picture with hurt and shock in her face, "What was your policy, 'I'm always looking good', huh?"

He laughed at his own clever remark along with everybody else (well, except for Nina and Amber, duh, of course) as Amber rushed down the hallway, tearing down the posters as tears started to overwhelm her.

"I hate you Jerome, I hate you!" I had just realized that everybody else from our house had stopped chuckling too, no longer amused as Jerome bit his knuckle, trying to but not able to contain his outrageous laughter.

"All's fair in love and politics, eh?" Jerome asked as he stuck one of his hands in his pockets as he waltzed by us, only to be stopped by Mick who stood up to him, getting all in his face and saying,

"You're a really nasty piece of work sometimes, aren't you?"

"I'd be careful if I was you, Campbell." Jerome started as he glared back down at the guy-in his eyes-who was the evil jerk who had stolen the only one he had ever truly loved. "People in glass houses."

He chose the words carefully, grinding them out with poison as Mick stepped closer, growling, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Jerome fell back slightly before regaining himself, spitting out, "Well in my book, it's pretty nasty to keep secrets from your girlfriend."

Jerome shot a pointed look at Mara who's face soon was taken over by worry as Mick slightly fell back, now worried and intimidated.

So what happened now?

I had no idea.

I headed down the hallway back at the house, going over to waltz into Jerome's room to question him about what he knows about Sibuna, the Elixir and Cup of Ankh when I realized the door was partially open by a crack and Mara was in it talking to him-again.

"Come to tell me what a mean, horrid person I am?" Jerome asked as he set a magazine aside, guilt and regret obviously written all over his face and obvious in his voice, even though he tried to mask it over in that neutral way he so often did.

"Listen, Jerome," She started, and I rolled my eyes and mimicked her a little bit before turning back and watching again. "I really appreciate all your help on everything, but I'm not the smear campaign type!"

"I know." He replied, voice soft and quiet, and my heart practically stopped and sped at exactly the same time as my mouth slightly fell agape. I could see his walls being torn down, him starting to show his heart to her and deciding to admit his everything.

He searched for the right words, mouth still open, lips moving slightly as he tried to find his voice before he stood up and pointed at her before sliding his hands back into his pockets, saying, "You know, I wish I could be normal like you;" She looked up at him admiringly, interested in what he was saying as he elaborated, "do the right thing."

He paused slightly, giving her a slightly studying look before asking, interest set in his eyes, "Do you remember how you felt when your parents dropped you off here for the very first time?"

"Yeah, nervous…nauseous." She started as she trailed off, remembering the memory as he watched her and the smile that appeared on her face at the mention of her parents, interested and intrigued at the story about her bond with them and how much they seemed to love her-everything he had seemingly never known. "But, I know they weren't abandoning me!" A jolt ran through his body as he fell back slightly, face turning solemn instantly-but Mara didn't seem to notice. "They just wanted me to have a good future!"

Jerome shook his head slightly as he admitted, voice about to break, "My parents…wanted something else…" She stared up at him, confused and wondering as he continued sadly, gulping, taking in a deep breath and then letting it out in a hard, fast gush as he finished off quickly, "…to get rid of me." He took a deep breath and then finished off with hard emotion set in his face and voice, "They left me here, to rot." His eyes flashed away, not able to face her as he admitted, "And I guess that's what I did."

"You're not rotten, Jerome!" She tried to convince him as she set a hand on his arm, rubbing it up and down slightly as he looked back over at her, locking eyes before she looked away and started on the question that was really bothering her-the reason why she came here in the first place.

"I have a question…" Jerome slowly looked back over to her, a surprised, real, joyful, hopeful and such a gorgeous smile playing over his lips as his eyes softened up to true joy as he thought she was going to ask him about, but then his gaze hardened again as his jaw set and he looked away, and I had to bite my knuckle to hold myself back so I wouldn't scream 'AW!' as she continued, "…what you said to Mick about people in glass houses and keeping secrets….is he…" She tried a different route as Jerome stared down at the floor solemnly. "was he seeing someone else while he was away?"

She finished it in a rush to get out and he hesitated, "I so badly want to say yes." 'OH MY GOD HE'S SO FREAKIN' CUTE WHEN HE'S LIKE THAT JUST SAY YES DAMMIT TELL HER YOU LOVE HER!' The inner crazy fan-girl voice inside my head cried as he instead informed her, "But hey, I can't." He tried for a small, tired, and defenselessly sad smile. "I guess you bring out the best in me Mara Jeffray."

'AAAHHH!'

'SHUT UP!' The two voices in my head fought as I watched the most sacred Jara moment of all as Mara continued to speak.

"So, what?" She asked, slightly fed up of all the long waits to find out answers to secrets and partially distressed and just plain flat out tired, too.

After a brief hesitation, knowing he'd regret it later, he tentatively leaned over, reached into his backpack and took out the envelope he had taken from the ground where Mick had dropped it earlier-the one that belonged to him, the one I'd called basically called him a ninja on when he had taken it-and handed it over to her, rubbing one of his hands up and down his face and over his eye in frustration as she quickly read and skimmed and glanced over it.

"He didn't get the scholarship?" She asked, and Jerome quickly, shortly hesitated again before simply answering with a plain, hard 'no' before sitting back down on his bed.

"But…why wouldn't he tell me?"

He glanced up to her, the obvious truth about how he felt written all over in his gorgeous, deep blue eyes as he replied, his voice soft and falling fast, "Maybe some people like keeping secrets…?"

I flung my other hand up to my mouth to muffle the upcoming scream of 'OH MY GOD FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM YOU IDIOT HE LIKES YOU AAAHHH!' and my eyes widened even more as I realized Mara was slowly turning to walk out and I pulled myself back to duck inside boys' bathroom.

The BATHROOM? Way to go, Alice, you could've snuck into your room just fine and it wouldn't have seemed the LEAST bit more suspicious.

"Shut up thoughts." I murmured to myself, causing Mara to wheel around and frown in confusion as she caught sight of me hanging back in the bathroom.

"Alice? Are you alright?" She tried to turn to a little joking side and asked, "Not talking to ghosts or nonentities, now, are you?"

I laughed harshly. "Nah, just…fixing my makeup." I hurriedly grabbed some eyeliner and turned to the mirror to add it on to my already heavily covered make-upped eyelids.

"Okay, alright…just don't go all prep on us, we already have Amber."

"Trust me, it's all black makeup for me!" I waited until she was far away before muttering 'like I already didn't have enough on' and turned to head to Jerome's room.

I paused in front of the door, hesitating with a raised fist to knock before deciding to walk right in.

He glanced up slightly, eyes regretting, sorrowful and hopeful but then let down and disappointed when he realized it was me, and not Mara.

But his look quickly turned to confusion when I stood there with my hand on the doorknob, my iTouch in the other, playing Perfect by Hedley as I tossed it over to him beside his hand on his bed.

He reached over and picked it up as he stared down at it, listening to the lyrics and then lips slightly parted in a gasp as they connected to him and he realized how much he could really relate to them.

"Thanks, but no thanks." He replied hardly as he gritted his teeth together, his eyes turning to sky-tainted coal as he tossed the music device back over to me right as the singer, well, uh, sang, 'Was it something I said, or just, my personality?'.

I shrugged a little. "Suit yourself." I replied as the music library shuffled when it hit the ground before my Converse and searched through songs before quickly landing on 'Enchanted' by 'Taylor 'Swift'.

He starting laughing abruptly. "You know, I never expected you to be the country kind of girl."

"Shut up." I growled as I quickly tried to change the song or get it to stop, but my fingers kept shaking and I screwed up the password multiple times. "Plus, I'm not. I just like some of her lyrics. And I really just wanted the song 'Innocent' because I can somehow relate to it a little bit actually a lot and it was 'Album Only' so I had to buy the whole freakin' thing and this damn stupid device won't change the song what stupid bitches made it like this!"

I cut off my blabber session my starting to hammer it against the wall as his laughter increased and he insisted, "Come on, toss it to me."

"No way!" I cried as I held it close to myself, cupping my hands over it to protect it when he laughed again.

"Fine, then, just take my advice-click the Menu button twice really quickly and you'll be able to skip, play, pause or go back through songs (not to mention change volume or take pictures sometimes too) without having to put in your stupid password."

"Hm…" I muttered as I tried it and it succeeded, and I raised my eyebrows. "Not bad. Can't believe I didn't come up with that tip sooner."

"Beat ya to it, I guess." He shrugged a little as he leaned back against his pillows, picking up his magazine and continuing to read.

"Fortuitous bastard." I muttered underneath my breath, but he heard me anyway and laughed again, causing my thumb to slip and press 'play' again as Taylor sang 'blushing all the way home'.

"No, that was fortuitous." He consulted, referring to my beet-red face, and I quickly pressed pause again before snapping back 'It was a propitious moment not fortuitous!', causing him to laugh again.

"Anyway, what are you doing here, Alice?" He asked as he glanced over at me, and my normal attitude kicked back in as I strutted over to Alfie's bed and took a seat there on the edge.

"I live here, what do you think, Jerk-ome?"

He laughed harshly. "Oh come on, Lice, you can do better than that-that one's literally been around for ages, more like a fourth-grader quip."

I shrugged a little as I dropped my, for once, silent iTouch next to me and muttered, "Whatever…I'm not in the mood anyway."

"So what are you in the mood for that would bring you here, if it's not to make my life the living hell you already mapped this place out to be?"

I raised one of my eyebrows, slightly impressed. "You certainly do have a way with words, don't you, Clarke?"

"That's why I'm one of the biggest flirts on campus, as you have so helpfully pointed out before."

"Biggest, not best." I pointed out a flaw in him yet again as he literally pointed at me and replied with a simple 'touché' in defeat and agreement while sitting up and setting his magazine aside.

"But seriously, Alice, what are you doing here?"

I shrugged a little. "I thought I might have some useful information for you." I leaned back on my elbows as he raised his eyebrows at me.

"Oh? And that would be?"

I opened my mouth and closed it again, considering if I should actually tell him. _Well, I wanted answers, didn't I?_

_But if Sibuna was that secretive and anxious to have NO ONE find out, wouldn't they NOT want more people to get in on it?_

_That would include you, bitch._

Wow. Usually my italicized thoughts were the nice ones.

Anyway, I spoke out loud to Jerome, "What if I told you that my parents didn't want me either?"

What was I getting at here? I didn't know that for sure. But, yet again, everybody did in fact tell me that they had given me up when I was just a baby because they were stupid drunks that didn't ever want me in the first place.

My face sunk at the memory as Jerome sat up, smile evaporating from his own face as he became intrigued. "How did you know about that?"

I hesitated, mouth open, trying to find the right words as I hunched over my nervously clutched together hands. _Way to be, Alice-bring up the guy's horrid past and possibly abusive parents when you know that it obviously bothers him A LOT._

Yeah those parts of my thoughts were definitely not nice.

Anyway, I finally resulted in telling the truth to him, which was, "Okay, so, I was actually outside the door the whole time, and overheard you telling Mara about-"

"You eavesdropped!" He cried as he stood up, anger flaring in his eyes.

"I-I didn't mean to!" Yes you did. "I was just outside and-"

"That was for her to hear and her ears only!" He walked forward, voice rising as he jabbed his finger at me.

"I-I know, I-I'm sorry!" I stuttered through my apology as I stood up myself, hands up in defense.

"Then why did you do it in the first place!" He struggled to keep his voice hushed and under control to prevent other people from hearing, and his words caught me at a dead end.

So I decided to take another route.

"Did you not just hear me!" I shot back, trying to take him back to my words as I spit out my next ones, walking forward fast, causing him to fall back again until I had him with his back against the wall. "My parents gave me up too! I know how you feel! Exactly how often do you hear that!"

I waited for a response but didn't get one as he slowly put his arms down, and then asked in a whisper, "How do you know that your parents didn't want you?" My eyes locked with him as anger and frustration quickly masked his voice again as he continued, pointing his finger back at me as he backed me up to in front of the door again, "You can't even remember anything from before you got here, can you?"

I paused, thinking it over. Then I slowly responded, "No…that's not true. Not really. Well, I guess, but," I took in a sharp breath through gritted teeth, eyes clenched shut before I cut off my blabbering and continuing, "I can't remember how I got here. I still hold some memories of in-between that time and after I turned five-I can't remember anything from that time at all, no matter how hard I try."

I opened my eyes slightly more and glanced up at him to see him silent, staring at me before I added in a slight rush, "I know, sounds Vampire Knight cliché, but-"

"But are you really trying?"

I looked up further into his eyes, shocked, and even a little confused, if I may say so myself. "What?" I sputtered.

"If you don't try you won't remember."

I glared at him, voice rising as I repeated, "I thought I already said, no matter how freakin' hard I do, in fact, try." I got all up in my face again as I retorted, "Believe it or not, I care about things and people, Clarke." I used his last name again, even though he told me to call him by his first last night, and I could see in his eyes that it slightly pissed him off. "Even though I wouldn't show it, like you-but I must say, your feelings for Mara are really quite obvious and desperate, and it's almost quite as obvious that she'll never, ever feel the same way about you, so why don't you give up."

He abruptly grabbed my arm and brought me closer so I was almost pressed up against him, and I could feel his breath in angry gushes fall down on to my face as his eyes flamed up with anger, and his voice growled, "You don't know anything about love, Alice-you yourself said you didn't believe in it."

I searched for the words through my head, and then said them quietly and firmly aloud, a determined glare setting on my face again as I uttered them, as if they were well-rehearsed from a script for a dramatic movie, the best written that everybody would love to quote, "How do you know something, as if like a feeling, if you've never felt it."

He stared at me in confusion and semi-shock, before his eyes settled in mine and both the colors melted together before I cut off the emotions rushing through me abruptly by adding, "I'd expect you to feel the same way, Clarke-expecting that besides that you'd never felt anything else, especially from those impeccable parents of yours."

His eyes widened as he let go of my arm and staggered back slightly, my words hitting home, and as if they had actually hit him. He knew exactly what I meant-nobody had ever loved him, just the same as me.

Not his parents, not his friends, not Mara-nobody. We were both just hated and ostracized nonentities wandering this so-claimed Earth.

'If this is life then what is hell.' The thirteen-year-old voice of me waved back over my head, and that same brown-haired boy from that picture had walked towards me and taken me in his arms like the many times before, comforting me, just like he had saved me from-

I was pulled back into the real world as I saw an intrigued and frowning Jerome in front of me, feeling the warmth of the hand on my face, and I almost silently sighed a little, allowing myself to sink into a bit and then-

I jerked back and he almost did at the exact same time before I glared at him, turned on my heels and marched over to the door, opening it to leave before his hand appeared again a little bit above mine, shutting it again as he slid in between me and the object of my only possible escape.

"Nobody has ever loved you, either." He snarled at me, and I released the doorknob quickly, shocked, as if it had burned me.

But his words did.

"Not your mysterious parents, or any possibly siblings you could've had-but most importantly, nobody you ever knew. None of those dance crews that you've hung with your whole life-not even that boy in that one that you fancied." I froze, shocked by his words. "What was his name? Dylan?"

Fear and reminders of the past rippled through me. My life started to flash before my eyes and he looked merely shocked for a second too, as if he could see it, but I quickly shoved the absurd idea out of my head before going back to my defensive mode and growling, "How do you know about Dylan?"

"Oh I know far more than you could have ever imagined." He replied snidely back, and the look in his eyes practically paralyzed me with fear, and I'm sure he could see it in my face as he continued, "What happened to him anyway? I mean he was your best friend, anyway, right? Isn't that what you always say?"

He shifted his weight position on his face as he leaned closer, the warmth of rage from his body once again beginning to radiate to mine. "Keyword-was, Alice. He was. Not anymore, eh?" Seriously what was up with all the rhetorical questions? "So what really happened? He leave you like how everybody else abandoned you,"

I'm sure you'd know about that Clarke, an angry voice snapped in the back of my head, but I bit my lip to hold it back, his eyes flashing down to the scene and back before he continued once again, "but, then again, you left them, didn't you?" He paused as he either thought it over again or wanted me to remember it and hit somewhere sensitive in me-even though pretty much every he said now did that. "You left all of them-except for that one crew, the ones you trusted and loved most, who made that bet that gave you over to somebody else right? Proving once again that they didn't love you. I bet you Dylan didn't even when he saved you."

My mouth fell agape as a gasp escaped me, tears (things I hadn't felt or shed in years) swelling in my eyes as I was brought back to the memory.

"So what happened to him?"

He fell back slightly, crossing his arms, raising one of his eyebrows slightly as he waited for a response and got one in a broken down voice, "A very literal and sentimental thing that most of us believe to call 'death', Jerome Clarke."

My words instantly sunk into him and he uncrossed his arms, one lip slightly parting from the other in shock and as my eyes were drawn to them, I just remembered how I was practically killing mine by shedding the bottom with my teeth and a burst of blood filled my mouth as I blinked back the unfamiliar feel and sense of saltwater in my eyes, but one unwillingly fell as I stepped around him to the door, muttering an 'excuse me' as I stepped through it and into the hallway.

"Alice, I-I didn't know-"

"No, Jerome, just-" I cut off as I turned to him, shaking my head slightly, causing more tears to fly around all around my with my flailing, tangled, frizzy, dirty and greasy waved black hair as I reached my hand up to my eyes, wiping the streaks of water away, trying to shun the memories as soon as possible as if they never existed and nobody else would never knew they did as I finished off with, "please, just leave me alone."

And with that said I turned and walked towards the front door, ignoring the confused and concerned onlookers from the living room, dining room, kitchen and practically everywhere else from the house as I walked out of it in an attempt to get away.

God, please, just take me away.

**='(**

**lmfao srry but i had to put it in here tht i usually write really late at night and mess up and make typos nd sorta start blabbering so if u find anything tht bothers u or u dnt get or a typo or something feel free to notify me i wuld be _REALLY _thankfull and in fact any feedback or constructive critcism or just a quick 'awesome' would be amazing. thx XD**

**R&R! :]**


	10. Chapter 10: Some Mixed Feelings

**So I was gonna wait until I got a few more reviews to post this chapter, but I really couldn't wait-_and _I got some news for the Jara fans out there...**

**FIRST OF ALL R&R AND IT'LL MAKE ME SOOO FREAKINNN' ECSTATICCC**

**SECOND OF ALL I'm already pretty ecstatic because...well...as most of you know, there's gonna be a second season of HoA called 'Sibuna Returns' (at least I think so) and if there is and they still follow some of the ideas in the original version then...weeell...Jerome & Mara kiss! :::DDD I saw it in some video online from some episode in a later season in the dutch version. I'm just...so freakin' ecstatic. If they continue and create Jara officially I'll be too soO freakin' ecstatic for words. BUT ANYWAY sheesh my ANs are too long so JUST READ! XXXDDD  
**

Chapter Nine

Some Mixed Feelings

Third Person P.O.V.

-Following Jerome-

*At The House*

Jerome watched as Alice escaped through the front door of the house, and he was left back with everyone else, just watching-although also twisted up inside another situation that he shouldn't have gotten involved with a bit in the first place.

How did he get inside this sort of thing again? He really _had _to stop doing this.

But it wasn't _his _fault. She was the one who had gotten all up in his face about Mara and his parents. That bitch just knew how to push his buttons, and he _hated _it. He hated how much she knew him, and how much he knew her. He was pretty sure she hated it too, but him just as much.

But how did they know these things? Well, for one, it was just who Jerome was-ever since he was young, he just had feelings about people, like he could tell who they were and what they were thinking, sometimes even what their past stories were and how they felt about it all.

He wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell Mara. He wanted to tell Alfie, or anybody, really, but he knew he couldn't. It wasn't normal. It _couldn't _be.

Nothing in this house was.

"What was that all about?" Alfie finally spoke up from his spot in the doorway of the living room with almost everybody else from their weird little group, and just starting to think about him pissed him off-but once again, he still knew it was half his fault.

Alice was right, once again, as much as he hated to admit it. He had always treated Alfie as nothing much than a mere fall-out boy, but he really _did _care about his so-called 'best friend' more than everybody truly saw and thought.

Eyes could be deceiving, right?

His own, icy blue eyes shot to the other eyes on the side railings of the staircase, then the old stove, and then Nina's necklace. What was _up _with that? It was no strange coincidence, but instead a strange theory. It always stuck in the back of his mind that this house was for from normal, and so was Victor. There was just something too…_creepy _about that guy.

And it sounded crazy and paranoid, but he somehow just _knew _(just another one of his crazy feelings, he guessed) that Nina really did have something to do with it. She showed up and suddenly she knew too much, even more than the rest of them-and that was really odd, considering Jerome had lived in this house practically his whole life, and she was just the bloody _new AMERICAN girl._

And she, Fabian, Patricia and Amber-(also seeming to know too much also, courtesy to Nina, sucking them out of their normal, daily lives and into her odd one)-had taken Alfie away from him too.

He glanced back to his old pranking buddy, the one he had shared so many laughs and smiles with, and suddenly felt he couldn't confide in him about anything at _all _anymore. He still, of course, couldn't really before-considering his horrible trusting and love problem-but he could at least get away from his intriguing thoughts and past life with him.

But no, everything just had to be _torn _away from him just _right _out of his hands.

"How should I know?" Jerome found himself spitting back and Alfie locked eyes with him. Eyes so familiar-the ones that used to smile at him as he smiled as well, but now, that was all over. There was no more bond. No more Lewis & Clarke.

But he was going to keep pretending.

They weren't going to see him give up.

Not before, not now, not ever.

"Jerome!" Two voices cried at the same time, and he was taken back to see both an intrigued Mara standing on the staircase and a frustrated Trudy crammed back behind all the kids. Trudy rushed forward to grab his arm as Mara simply took a breath and then continued, "Go after her!"

He considered this, eyes flickering to the door and back again before nodding a little and heading out after Alice.

But where the hell was she?

Jerome eventually found himself drawn to the abandoned park near the school, and considered it as just another stupid feeling and was about to turn and leave before the faint sound of sobbing reached his ears.

_No way, Alice would __NOT __cry. Just leave Jerome. What the hell do you think you're doing here anyway? __Leave. Now. _He thought inwardly to himself, but then again, what did he know about Alice?

No more than she did about herself, apparently.

He slowly progressed towards the spot where the sobbing originated from, ignoring his aggressive thoughts before even worse ones began to cross his mind.

_I'm stupid. I'm an idiot. He's right. Jerome's right. That dimwitted, bloody idiot was right all along. I'm hated. I'll never be loved, I'll just stay forever unloved. Including myself. I'll hate myself. What am I saying? Why am I even here anyway? How did I get here? I'll never know. I don't want to know!_

The girl's distressed voice sounded harsh, torn and confused, overtaken by tears and he finally settled on Alice. It was a side of her she kept locked away inside herself that it wasn't even considered any part of her at all and instead just a myth.

_But Nina and the others have proved many myths to not actually be so-called myths, so far, hadn't they?_

Jerome had no idea where the thought had come from, or what it had meant, but he was intrigued by it and instead pushed it aside for later, claiming the matter of a depressed Alice to be more important right now.

"Alice?" He asked allowed tentatively, and there was a pause in the sobbing, but then a hiccup and a half-hearted 'go away' from under the yellow and green plastic slide that looked strangely a lot like vomit in the harsh weather, dark night and rain.

"No." Switching over to Alice's side, she was intrigued and shocked by Jerome's harsh, strict answer, knowing he was set upon it and wouldn't leave her side no matter what the consequences. "No, I won't leave you, Alice. This is half my fault. So no."

"I'm not Mara." She snapped, and Jerome couldn't help but smile. She still hadn't lost that little quirky side of her, and he was glad-even though she was well, uh, cry.

"I know." He whispered, the hint of a smile still obvious in his face, his voice soft. "That's why I'm not leaving."

Alice instantly stopped absently sobbing at that. _'That's why I'm not leaving'. _What did he mean by that?

She didn't know, but something deep inside her was glad he said it.

And that he also meant it.

"I thought I told you to leave me alone." Of course, being Alice though, she couldn't show it, and had to be harsh and hide her emotions. Since when did _he _do differently than that, anyway?

She heard him sigh as he took a seat next to her underneath the slide, protected but not much from the rain, considering how it was leaking in through the cracks on the top of the so-called 'shelter'. "Nice choice of self-defense from the weather. Although I would've probably chosen the better, new, more recently built but still un-surprisingly unused slide over there."

He gestured towards the large, winding swirling one and clarified, in deeper elaboration, "Y'know, the red and blue one."

'_Leave'_ the word was set in her mind and waiting to be released out, and she could almost see him walking away, the rain cloaking him and his gorgeous, damp blonde hair, lean body and pale, high-cheek-boned face with the even more amazing blue eyes…and she would hate herself forever.

So instead she took another route and said, "It's a shame."

Jerome glanced over at her, and she almost melted when she saw how soft and unguarded his eyes and emotions were at the moment. It was just…_amazing_. How could Mara see _that __ALL THE TIME _and not feel grateful and blessed and just _fall in love _with him?

Like she was.

**Alice's P.O.V.**

No. No, no, no, _no. _I was _not_ falling in love with him. I _couldn't _be.

But I was.

_AAAGGGHHH! _The distressed call sat inside my mouth but I swallowed it, wincing slightly before continuing in my explanation after he asked, repeating 'what's a shame', telling him, "How this place is so…so…_abandoned_."

I instantly whipped around to look at him, horror struck all across my face. "No, no, _no, _I did _not _mean it like that-"

He laughed abruptly-but it wasn't a harsh, cold, sarcastic one, nor a casual, beautiful soft one I had caught from him lately either. "Yeah, I know, Alice. We are _never _heading anywhere _near_ that conversation again. Right?"

I glanced back at him and smiled. "Alright. Deal." We both held out our hands, joined them and shook, reminding me of how we had just simply talked and laughed together last night, even though it had seemed ages ago.

All of a sudden Jerome tugged me backwards and I fell into him, shocked, as he wrapped his arm around me, and I instantly relaxed and began to snuggle up against him at the warmth radiating from his body. I breathed in the familiar scent of his cologne, smiling a little bit into his dampened, white-and green striped collared shirt as I clutched his gray vest resting over it, and his hand reached up to absent-mindedly stroke my hair.

"I used to come here, you know." He started as he glanced around the sorrowful place. "When I was little."

"Hm…" I muttered, following his memory-struck gaze before speaking up a little bit louder myself, "It suits you."

He laughed, a real, joyous laugh and quickly turned his mouth into his left, free arm's sleeve to muffle it before pulling back up, a smile-or more like a grin-still placed on his face as he continued, "Yeah, well, it used to be happier."

He was pulled back into the daze of a memory as he continued, "My friends from the house and I used to come here." I rose my eyebrows at the word _'friends' _and he looked down at me. "Yeah, I know, shocking that I ever got along with them." He glanced down at himself disapprovingly as he continued, considering it only slightly, "But I was never always…_this_."

"Oh really?" I asked, sitting up slightly in interest, propping up my elbow against the side of the plastic play-toy wall before continuing, "And what _were _you like."

He hesitated briefly, as if he didn't really know himself-but _did _he?

Not as much as I did about either him or myself, I supposed.

And same goes to him about me.

So why were we like this right now?

"I think I was more likeable." He said thoughtfully.

"You _think_."

He glanced over at me and laughed as I pointed this out, smiling slightly. "Yes, well…how should I know what people think about me?"

Hint, hint, irony for later.

He sighed a little as he stretched, and I frowned as he leaned away from me, but the smile quickly returned as he fell back into our little comfortable position, maybe even leaning over closer than before. "Alfie and I were buddies here and used to run around, playing, coming up with pranks and such. Patricia and Mara sat on the swings, Joy too occasionally-well, considering her and Patricia are the best of friends, really-while Mick would run around trying to get exercise and play sports as Fabian would swing around slowly on the little round-a-bout thing, daydreaming and staring up at the sky as Amber would sit off nearby on the grass, writing in journals or reading or something-usually magazines, though, of course."

I laughed at the abrupt thought. "She was into that crap even when she was _that _little?"

He reconsidered the idea. "She wasn't really that little, actually. More about…ten years of age, yeah?" I shrugged a little, with a 'I've only been here for about a week or two so don't ask me' kind of look on my face, and he sighed and continued, "I'm not sure. I don't really care to search back through all my memories. All I know is that we had always been coming here, young and older. But then again, besides, of course…" He trailed off, realizing he was blabbering and bit his lip, afraid and not wanting to continue, for the memory was either too horrid to bring up or he was afraid of, considering the deal we had just made.

"But then again, none of them have been here as long as _you_, or showed up as young as you, right?"

He glanced back from looking away slightly and smiled sadly, look thanking me for saving him from the unpleasantness of having to bring up the subject himself. "Why…" I trailed off, not sure how to put it.

"Why what?" He asked shortly in that gorgeous, deep British accent of his, and, oh God, it killed me, forcing me to bite my lip before continuing,

"Why did your parents leave you here in the first place?" I glanced over to see his mood as he looked away, eyes sorrowful and glazed over by the memory as I sputtered out, "B-but I-I didn't mean-I m-mean-well, I meant, actually-"

"I thought we weren't going to talk about this." He replied, voice soft and sad, and I melted into that sensitive side of his as his arm went limp around me, sliding down from my waist.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up." I whispered, even though I was well-knowing that I _did_. I was truly _dying _to know, and when he looked back up, I was sure he could see it in my eyes, and he sighed, deciding to go along.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you." I perked up, grinning as I leaned forward intently to hear almost all about his life story and him to me as well as he began to start. "So, um, first of all, I grew up here, basically…-well not here, but Anubis House."

"Yeah, well, no duh, I figured that." I scoffed, and he gave me a look, making me punch my lips together with a tiny 'sorry' before he continued.

"Anywho, I guess you could say that Trudy wasn't only a housemother, but more of a _real _mother, really. I tried to pretend that she was my real life mum, and sometimes, even, that Victor was the creepy, mean, ol' classic stepfather."

I stared at him for a second before bursting out laughing. "Trudy and Victor? I'm sorry, but that's just not right. What is that, _Tictor? _Or _Victrudy_?" I shook my head, laughing still as he joined in as I said once again, "That's just _wrong, _man."

"I know, I know." He agreed, shaking his head slightly, along with it the laughter and water before continuing _once again_, "But anyway, Victor really did sort of scare me when I was little."

"Doesn't he still intimidate mostly _everybody_?" I asked, and he laughed again. "Well, except for me, of course. I mean, I'm Alice!"

Yes, I'm Alice. So why was I not acting like her right now?

Only God knows.

"Yes, you certainly are." He smiled softly at me before shaking it away and continuing, "Anyway, so yeah. When Alfie came here, he came up with the crazy idea of Victor being a werewolf or something."

I cracked up yet again. "Aw, classic Alfie. And what were you at the time? Seven? Eleven? _Yesterday_?"

He laughed along and shook his head yet again once. "No, no, we actually were…what, seven, eight, nine…?" He trailed off as he considered it-but I knew that he knew, in the back of his mind, for he really cared _that _much about his best friend-before going on once again, "Anywho, but yeah. That's really how we became friends. When he first showed up, of course."

"On his first day?"

Jerome nodded along in agreement in answer, and then replied, "Yup. Just like you said, classic Alfie, eh?"

I nodded too and laughed, then glanced down at my watch. "Speaking of Alfie and the others…we should probably get back now."

"Oh." He frowned slightly as he looked down at his own watch. "Well, okay, yeah. I guess you're right."

He glanced around at his surroundings and frowned more. "I wish I had my coat to give you or something, but…" He looked back down at his soggy outfit with simple, thin shirt, vest, and pants…oh, and shoes and socks, I guess…but anyway-

"Let's save that for the next time you come out to find me when I'm horror-memory-stricken and sobbing in the rain, eh, shall we, yeah?"

He laughed and nodded, grinning as he held out his hand to shake yet again. "It's a deal."

I smiled back as I shook my hand with his, taking his in mine as he slipped it into his other one and we stood up, coming out from underneath the play-toy to walk back to the house, hand-in-hand, not even caring to run in the rain.

We talked and laughed about random things and memories that didn't kill us as we walked back to the house, and when it came into view, I think we were both a little disappointed.

We quickly ducked under the coverage of the top part over the deck as Jerome lifted his free hand and twisted the doorknob, helping me inside first and then him after me, shutting the door behind us.

I slipped my hand from his, trying to ignore the deep, disappointed feeling that flooded through me once again as I rubbed my hands up and down my arms, enjoying the warmth of the familiar place.

"Trudy! We're back!" Jerome called, and the voices that waded from the lit-up kitchen paused for a second, then became hushed and rang out again while we walked up over to them.

"No, we thought you were a mile away!" Alfie said sarcastically, and we all laughed as Jerome leaned against the left side of the doorway, and I stood stiff and straight up a little bit ahead, tentative about walking inside the area. "_'Trudy!'_" Alfie called in a mimicking voice, and we all laughed even harder. "_'Trudy! We're still a mile or two away but just thought we'd tell you anyway! Truuudyyy!'"_

"Oh calm down." Jerome snapped through a slowly creeping up smile, and we all laughed again as an also-smiling Trudy showed up in the kitchen doorway, but her smile slowly faded as she rushed forward.

"Mud! Mud dripping on my carpet!" Jerome and I nervously glanced at each other, stumbling to come up with excuses and apologizes before she continued, "Oh enough with your excuses! Hurry over to your rooms and change into extra clothes, I need to wash yours immediately!"

We sighed as we turned and headed to our rooms. I took extra long in my room, door locked as I pulled a black camisole over my head, along with red and black plaid sleep pants before I headed back out, pulling my damp, cold hair back into a ponytail to see Jerome standing there, waiting, in his own pajamas as well.

"Nice slippers." He nodded down to my old, childish slippers with the Hello Kitty heads, and I blushed massively again.

"Shut up!" I snapped and he laughed as he removed his hands from the pockets in his blue, gray and white also plaid pajama pants, a tight gray shirt stretching across his chest as he followed me into the dining room once again while I pulled my robe on and tied it.

"Ah, thank you, sweeties. I'll get started on the new dark-color load immediately." Trudy thanked us with a warm smile as she took the soggy clothes from our hands and hurried into the laundry room to start it up.

"So, announcement, you guys-and I'm afraid it's a frighteningly important one too." Trudy said as she walked back in, standing in front of us all at the table.

"Are we making cupcakes again!" Alfie perked up from his seat, and we all gave him looks.

"She said _frighteningly important_, Alfie-not _deliciously decadent._" Patricia said and we all chorused together in laughter before Trudy gave them a look, shaking her head while chuckling slightly before continuing,

"No, you guys-I'm afraid this is much more serious." We all sat up and turned to her as she continued, "If we don't find either Alice or Mick another place to stay in this house, somebody's going to have to leave."

It was silent for a moment before Patricia spoke up once again, "Alice can stay in our room!"

I slowly, shockingly turned to her, grinning in a 'thank-you-_so_-freakin'-much' sort of way before Mara spoke up, "Um, yeah, we have that little window-seat-thing that she could sleep at."

I smiled warmly at her as well as Trudy grinned and replied, "Alright, it's settled then-Alice will stay in Patricia and Mara's room on the window seat! Alice, you can pack your stuff up and move over to it tomorrow. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to check on the clothing load in the wash."

She turned to head back to the laundry room as I smiled at the two. "Thanks, you guys."

They shrugged like it was no big deal. "Eh, no big deal."

Woah. Spot on.

"So, _Jalice_, have a romantic evening out in the soggy, dark woods, huh?" Amber asked, drawing the attention back to Jerome and me as his eyes widened and I started to blush again.

"Oh shut it, Millington!" I growled as I turned to grab a piece of bread from the table, only to have it brush over Jerome's, signifying the instant spark of electricity as we both instantly pulled away, and then I shoved him over before I grabbed the bread before sitting down at the far right end of the couch.

Everybody laughed at our embarrassment as Patricia called from her usual seat from the far end of the table, "Oh, _puh-lease_! We saw you two walking up to the front steps holding hands!"

"We never did no such thing!" I said, astonished.

"Uh, hate to break it to you Alice, but yes, you did. We all saw it!" Mara spoke up from the couch across from me and I glared at her.

"Please, and you call me the hallucinating one." I mumbled as I angrily took a bite from my bread, frustration with Jerome boiling up throughout me.

How _dare _that jerk! I was Al-freakin'-ice, I wasn't one to fall head-over-heels for a guy and get all smitten and embarrassed and blushing and…_grrr!_

"_Anywho_," Amber started, drawing all our attention back to her as she sat there on the floor, perched on her knees with a magazine and pen in her lap, "so, Alice, want to fill out this little survey…thing?"

I sighed exasperatedly as everybody else settled around us. "What little survey _thing?_" I mimicked slightly as she dove further into explanation,

"It's all this stuff about you-like celebrity crush, favorite movie, song that suits you…y'know, that sorta thing."

"I hate to break it to you, but I don't think Alice is into that sort of thing, Amber." Jerome said as he sat on the other end of the couch, crossing one leg over the other as he took a bite from his apple.

"Oh shut it Clarke and let me work my magic." Amber snapped as she turned back to me, taking a more comfortable position with crossed legs as Jerome held up his hands in defense. "So, staring out, like I already said before…-who's your celebrity crush?"

"Hum…" I muttered, pondering this slightly with a tapped slightly on my chin. "Skandar Keynes?"

Amber started laughing, along with some other people as Jerome raised shock eyebrows at me. "Skandar Keynes? Really, Alice? _Really_?"

"What!" I cried in mock defense as Amber called me out. "He's _really _cute!"

"Oh come on, you can do better than that, Alice."

I shrugged a little. "Well, unless you want me to pull out all these American actors, he's all I really know. I don't go out to see movies and such often, believe it or not."

Amber sighed as she jotted it down with a little 'okay, suit yourself' muttered underneath her breath as she continued, "Okay, anyway-favorite movie? And please _don't _say the Chronicles of Narnia or some nonsense like that."

I pulled up my defensive look again. "Hey! They are good movies!" Everyone laughed again as I continued, "Anywho, no. Um, I don't know…you're all gonna beat me up 'cause it's America, but, Step Up 3D?"

They looked at me in shock. "Step Up?"

"It's a _good MOVIE!I" _I cried, slightly annoyed and frustrated but still smiling.

"Yes but with the _worst _acting _possible EVER _on this earth." Jerome rejected, much to the gestures of everyone else towards him.

"Yeah but dance movies are about the _dance_, not acting-that's why they're called '_DANCE MOVIES_', genius." I replied snidely back and he shrugged as everyone else murmured 'yeah I guess she's right' sort of agreements.

"So, song that suits you?" Amber kept going on, and I really had to stop and think about that one.

"Hm…that's a tough one." I pondered this, full hand back on my chin again as I leaned back and wondered, feet brought up in front of me as I rested my head on my knees as I settled on, "I suppose Innocent by Taylor Swift-that's always a good one that I can relate to."

"Hm…" They all muttered quietly as they nodded along.

"Or-or Imaginary by Evanescence!" I added, and they all nodded again. "Or Falling Inside the Black by Skillet."

I shrugged a little as Amber kept on moving on throughout questions, and I kept answering them, until the last one came, "Okay, now, last but _definitely _not least-who is your dream guy?"

I squinted my eyes a little as I drew in a hissing breath, trying to make him out in my mind, but the only picture that would pop up now was Jerome. "Uh…Skandar Keynes?"

They all gave me looks. "Seriously, Alice. I mean, he's an atheist anyway-and what are you?"

"Christian." I replied simply as I finished off my bread and wiped my hands together before stretching out, placing my feet on the new coffee table in the middle of the room.

"Okay, so, you have to describe him _completely_-what he looks like, how he acts-y'know, all the deets." Amber elaborated and my mission as she took a seat next to me, and I pondered this slightly before launching into my explanation of my perfect boyfriend.

"Okay, well, he's gotta be smart-not just all looks and muscles." I started off, shooting a pointed look at Mick, much to the laughs of Jerome and Amber but the glares of Mara and the brainless jock himself. "But speaking of looks, he's gotta be super cute-I mean, I know that sounds shallow, but a girl's gotta have somethin' pretty to look at."

Everybody laughed-well, except for the guys, really, who found this oncoming conversation sort of awkward-as I continued, "And as for looks, well, I dunno, really. I used to be all for brunettes but then found myself leaning more towards really pale blondes."

I considered this, frowning slightly before continuing, "Anyway, the first thing I notice about a boy is his eyes. Usually, like I said before, brown, but that became too _boring _for me. I soon fell in love with hazel eyes on boys. But then I'm also finding myself more attracted to deep blue eyes. Or more like icy blue. I used to _hate _blue, but, hey," I shrugged a little, trailing off as more people shot pointed glances at Jerome and Alfie elbowed him slightly as he muttered a 'shut up'.

I grinned before finishing up, "Anyway, he's also gotta be kind and sensitive and deep, and oh, no duh, he's gotta be strong and tough and stand up for himself, too, and not be afraid to say what he thinks and actually, surprisingly cares for the people around him. But not all perfect-there's gotta be that other side of him too, y'know, the _imperfect _one, that he passes off to everybody and hides behind…emotionless, but there's _so _much more to him, but he'll only show it to you. Like, he sort of reveals his past to you and…" I trailed off again, frowning at the thought of Jerome crossing my mind yet again before I shook it off and quickly ended, "Anyway, and a good kisser. He's gotta be a good kisser."

They all chorused together in laughter as Trudy spoke up from the kitchen, "Sounds sort of like somebody we all know." She smiled towards Jerome and I practically died when she called out his name, but it turns out it was just to come and finish off the dishes, for it was his chore night.

"Oh my God, you are _so _in love with Jerome." Nina said in a hushed whisper as all the girls crowded around me and the guys headed off towards the kitchen, giving Clarke a rough time about it.

"What! I so do _not_ like him."

"Yes you do!" They all accused in chorus before Mara continued, "The guy you described was the spitting image of him!"

"But you forgot jerk and anger issues." Amber said simply, and I pointed to her in thanks.

"But hey, he's not always a jerk-actually, he's not at all-, and he's got good reasons to not be happy _all _the time…" I trailed off as they all gave me pointed looks and I shook it off and continued, "Anyway, no, I don't like him…I have a feeling he likes someone else anyway."

"What? No way. Who?" They all asked as I shot a glare at Mara, ashamed as she semi-realized Jerome's feelings for her.

"Oh my God. Really?" She asked, and I laughed harshly and abruptly.

"Are you really _that _stubborn?" I held up a hand before I stood up to leave. "Wait, don't answer that. You're really starting to sound like Amber anyway."

I turned to walk away to the kitchen as all the guys walked back past me, except for Jerome standing at the kitchen sink, finishing up washing the dishes.

"Hey, care to finish helping me with this, Lice?"

"No." I answered darkly and shortly, and he looked over at me.

"What's the matter with you? One minute you're all Amber-prep-like and the next you're…" He trailed off as he looked at me, searching for the right word.

"The next I'm _me_, so get used to it, Clarke." I snapped as I glanced over to the frowning people in the living room at my returning attitude before they all went back to their normal, daily routines of getting ready for bed.

Jerome sighed as he shut the water off, turning fully to me. "Okay, sure-but really, Alice, what were you going to tell me about earlier?"

I slowly froze, hesitating as I remembered. "Come on, Lice. I know you weren't originally going to bring up the topic of my parents. Now what were you going to say?"

I waited until nobody else could hear before hurrying in a hushed whisper, "About Alfie and the others."

He leaned closer, slightly interested. "What _about _Alfie and the others?"

I hesitated once again before explaining, "Something about a…a cup. I dunno what it's about, really, I'm not sure, they were just murmuring about stuff in agreements as Alfie brought up the remembrance of some traumatic night down in the cellar."

He froze, shocked as his eyes darted towards the old stove. "So they _had _taken him back down to the cellar…" He gritted his teeth before glancing behind him furtively, and then grabbing my wrist to tow me into the laundry room, shutting the door behind him as he launched into further explanation.

"Okay, there is something _seriously _wrong with them!" He finally let his wild emotions go, pointing back at the door to the people behind it in the living room, acting innocently even though we all knew they were not.

"You're telling me." I replied sarcastically, and he struggled to keep his anger under control as he continued,

"Okay, so, ever since Nina's gotten here, something's been wrong." I rose one of my eyebrows up at him as he hurried to explain, "I mean, she just showed up here, and suddenly, she knew too much."

"Too much?" I questioned, and his voice turned towards something soft and scared.

"Something _evil's _going on in this house."

I rose my other eyebrow with the other. "_Evil?_" I repeated questioningly.

"You don't believe me." He said as he fell back, giving up.

"No, no! Just-" I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "Just _elaborate _on what you mean by '_evil'_."

He hesitated before taking a seat on the dryer, perched on the edge as I took my own spot on the washing machine. "Okay, so, the first day she showed up, another girl also disappeared-Joy Mercer, Patricia's best friend.

"Patricia was going on all crazy and paranoid like about it for a while until she got an email from Joy-but she still suspected it wasn't from her. She went back to hating Nina for a bit until all of a sudden they're just, like, the best of friends-along with Amber and Fabian.

"And they keep taking all these trips back up to the attic and down to the cellar-"

"But, wait, don't you have to have a key?" We both paused, considering this slightly as I then murmured, "But then again, on observing the lock, it could be easily taken down by a simple little hairpin…"

"Anyway, yeah, that's the point-they _stole _it from Victor's office."

"They _stole _it?" I asked, slightly astonished. "Well, that sounds like something _I _would do, but not _Nina-_"

"Well, I suppose, we sort of set her up to it, but-"

"You set her up to it?" I repeated, giving him a look. "Oh, no, God, Jerome, what did you do-?"

"Nothing!" He sputtered, shocked at the sudden accusation. "It was Patricia's idea! She came up with this whole thing to scare Nina by sending her up to the attic one night and bringing something back down again to pass this initiation test thing!"

I paused, thinking it over, and laughed darkly abruptly. "Wow, that's actually a really good, _classic _idea-"

"Well that's not the point!" Jerome cut off in a hiss before continuing yet again, "They go around all secretive like, murmuring about Egyptian mythology and clues and what-not-and not to mention this weird Sara woman who Nina keeps visiting-"

"Sara?" I cut him off, the name sounding familiar, and then I remembered. "Oh yeah, they mentioned her name, earlier today! Nina said something about a visit to her…and being drawn to the attic afterwards, then something about listening to her on a phonograph or something…"

Jerome considered this. "One of those old things?"

"Yeah!" I stopped, thinking back to the memory or earlier today in class. "Except, Fabian _did _reach for something in his backpack first at the mention of the recordings-maybe some kind of iPod or MP3 or something….?"

Jerome thought about it for a second, frowning slightly before gasping suddenly. "Oh my God, there was once this recording of a creepy little girl talking about something on Amber's MP3 once-a while ago, and Alfie recorded over it as a joke!"

"Do you think that was this Sara woman as a kid?" I asked, creating a new come-on theory.

"Apparently…yeah, I do think so."

I stood up abruptly. "We gotta get our hands on that MP3-maybe finally find out some answers."

"Wait, no-" Jerome started as he caught me by the arm, pulling me back slightly as he pondered other scenarios. Then he turned to me slowly, standing up and asking, "What would you say about a little sneak-away to the attic tonight?"

I thought about it. "But the lock-"

"You said yourself it could be picked with a hairpin."

I considered it yet again and a grin slowly appeared my face as I agreed, "I'm in."

**So yeah I felt like drawing them closer to the mystery and in the next chapter Ima sorta bring Mickara in it too a bit, but then I think I'm gonna have Alice leave and go to Sibuna...and cue the supernatural mystery addition.**

**O and btw another quick shoutout to TeamEdmundAndPeter-it is sad...i guess. lmfao XD THX FOR COMMENTING AGAIN BTW! :D i really appreciate it.  
**

**XD ANYWAY, sorry of any character get OOC in this chapter (i think my _own _OC even did...dissapointment in myself DX) but R&R anyway no matter wut thx byeee! :::DDD  
**


	11. Chapter 11: Starts

**Ehh, I felt like I'd owe you guys, if I do or do not continue it from this point anyway. =)**

**Well, actually, I've reached a few more chapters after this one in the story, just have been editing and everything, but I suppose I will definetley try and keep this one going and then my edited version. The only thing I'm really worried about is getting sued for copyright claims or anything if I publish my edited version and somebody finds this one, because it'll probably still sound like HoA or Darkest Powers or something...BUT WHO GIVES A HELLO KITTY ERASER!**

**Actually I have a Hello Kitty eraser that I totally destroyed today in my block class because I got bored, and it makes me sorta sad, because I liked that eraser. It was the best I owned. =( And speaking of owning and copyrights I do not take any claims of House of Anubis or anyhting related to things that I obviously do NOT have in this story...although I wish I did own those epic HK slippers I keep mentioning Alice having...if they were real...**

**AND THANK YOU to the very helpful words of advice and wisdom from gUardianAngeL742. I really appreciate how much you comment and say you love the story and I love yours too as weeell I just wish Sarah and Jerome would've kissed in the last chapter you posted. Hmph. =/ JK lmfao and I am glad of your devotion to my story TeamEdmundAndPeter. I hope this chapter pleases you all. XD  
**

Chapter Eleven

New Starts

I sat on my bed, torch clutched in hand as I waited anxiously for the clock to struck midnight.

And…then…DING!

The grandfather clock in the hallway struck the big 12:00 time as I jumped up quietly to my feet, slipping my bare, tough feet into my Hello Kitty slippers once again before taking my hairpin out of my hair. Placing the end of the tip between my two rows of teeth, I bent it so it was straight out. Picking the lock on the divider that was, well, locked ever night before bed, I carefully snuck out, even more careful not to wake a sleeping Fabian across the room in his own bed, and then darted out the door.

"Took you long enough." I jumped slightly at Jerome's voice at the doorway and turned back to shut the door quietly before turning back to him and hissing back in response,

"The appropriate time was midnight—what, couldn't wait to see me? This isn't a date, you know."

He chuckled softly before he gestured forward with a pointed 'ladies' first' and I glared at him before turning to head up the stairs.

I ducked back behind the railing when I saw the light on across the hall in Victor's office, placing a hand out to stop Jerome as I mouthed 'Victor' and we slowly snuck inside the girls' dormitory without being seen.

"He was asleep anyway." Jerome said in a partial-whisper, causing me to hiss 'shut up' again before we ducked down the hallway and off to the side, into the little clearing spot-place-thing before the attic door.

I stuck my hairpin inside the lock, trying to pick it as a rushed Jerome hissed 'hurry' and I replied with an aggressive 'I'm trying!' before the bathroom door opened and we both ducked off to the side, pressed flat up against the wall.

A confused Mara glanced around the seemingly empty corridor and she did a double-take and landed on us.

"Alice?" She walked over and strained her neck to see further and added, as if non-believably, "Jerome? Really, desperate enough to sneak away to the attic for some alone time in the middle of the night?"

I glared at her, a growl escaping my throat before Jerome stepped around and denied, "We weren't, Mara—trust me, there's nothing going on between Alice and me—I don't like her, and she doesn't like me. We're just friends."

He glanced back at me non-approvingly and corrected himself, "Actually, not even that." I scoffed and rolled my eyes, crossing my arms and tapping my foot impatiently as he hurried to continue, "Anyway—"

"Then why are you here?" Mara asked, confused.

"Okay, yes, we were sneaking up to the attic-but it was to find out what's going on with the weird group."

Mara looked slightly taken aback. "The weird group?"

"Sibuna—or whatever they call themselves." I put in as I stepped forward to stand next to Jerome. "The ones that sneak around all the time, whispering about mysterious and such-y'know, Amber, Patricia, Nina, Fabian and now, Alfie."

Mara frowned slightly. "That is sorta weird, now that you mention it."

"Yeah and speaking of Nina, did you notice that weird eye design on her necklace and all around the house?"

I was about to agree with a suspicious 'yeah' before Mara beat me to it and whispered, "The Eye of Horus."

We both glanced over to her. "What?" We asked in unison, shocked and confused.

"It's, like, Egyptian mythology—really guys, brush up on your history, that's what this house is all about."

Jerome thought back for a second before pointing out, "And isn't it strange that Nina and the rest just randomly come up with some idea for a school play all about those myths, the house and Victor?" He thought even harder before gasping and continuing, "And that Sara woman! Nina was her in the play! And they kept talking about going back and getting ideas from her!"

I opened my mouth and closed it, about to ask more about what the play was about before Mara interrupted yet again, standing up tall with shoulders back and insisting, "I'm going with you guys." We both stared at her, taken aback. "To the attic."

We were about to protest before she continued, "You can't leave me out of this now that you've let me in—plus, if you don't let me come, I'll go and tell Victor everything."

Jerome glanced over at me, eyes pleading and I growled a 'fine', turning to the door to finish picking the lock, swinging it open and rushing a 'but hurry' afterwards as we all ran in, and I slowly shut the door to a crack behind us.

I pre-cautiously crept up the winding staircase after them before we ended up in a small, musky, circular room which must have been claimed the forbidden 'attic'.

"Spooky." I whispered, a small smile on my face as I brushed my fingertips over the title on a book marked 'ANUBIS' off to the side on a desk or something, shining my torch light down on it.

"Hey, Alice," Jerome called, and I glanced over at him, along with Mara from the other side of the room. "shine your light over on this."

I walked over next to him in front of a wall and pointed by torch down on it as Mara joined is, and we all gasped slightly in unison as I barely whispered, "The Eye of Horus."

I placed my hand over the eye engraved inside another weird, little circle on the wall as I scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion and concentration, trying to make sense of it all.

"What could it mean…" I murmured, just as another voice called out 'What's the Eye of Horus?'.

I gasped as I jumped and my torch cluttered to the ground, nudging against my foot and stopping to shine on a confused Mick standing on the top of the stairs, sandwich in hand.

'Mick!' Mara cried right as Jerome growled 'Campbell!' confusingly and I hissed 'what are you doing here?'.

"Well," He started, picking some lettuce out of his teeth and flicking it off before continuing in his explanation, "I was fridge-raiding when I heard Mr. and Mrs. Clarke over here going up to the girls' dormitory, and instantly I was suspicious, so I decided to come along and found the attic door open and, well, then I was here."

He grinned at us and Mara returned the gesture while a frustrated Jerome and I groaned, not able to decide what to do.

"But what if—"

"Who's up there?" Victor's strict voice cut me off, and all our eyes widened as we silently whispered 'Victor!' before I grabbed Mick's sleeve, pulling him over away from the plain sight of the creepy caretaker himself, trying to find a place to hide before shoving Mara and him underneath a table, out of sight.

"What are you doing, get under there!" I hissed to Jerome as I tried to shove him over, but he shook me off and replied 'there's no room!'

"I said, who is up there?" Victor repeated as his footsteps slowly crept up the staircase, getting louder as my heart battered against my ribcage and before I knew it, Jerome had me by the arm and was hissing 'follow my lead', and I was confused and started to ask 'what' before he cut me off by pressing his lips onto mine.

He kissed me.

As soon as his lips met mine, I was shocked as another shock burst through me and I froze, just instantly shocked by the amazing, warm feeling that danced through me as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into him, growling an almost silent 'play along' and 'kiss me back'.

And that's exactly what I did.

I really liked it, if I may say so myself. He was actually quite the good kisser. He knew how to hold someone while doing it, how to make their heart beat fast and stomach butterflies, well, fly. The horrible sinking feeling in my gut was replaced with a light, airy one as his lips moved perfectly against mine, and, sheesh, they were so warm and soft.

He brushed a strand of my hair away from my face and cradled it delicately as he moved in closer to me, lips parting and—

"What are you two doing up here?"

We both jumped apart, our eyes flying open as we stared at each other, shocked, as if not believing that the other had felt what we just did.

Jerome's mouth moved silently as he tried to find the right words to say, glancing over with Victor along with a me as he glared daggers at us, making me feel nervous in my stomach, the dark feeling returning as he barked, cutting off Jerome's stuttering 'I-I' with a "Go to bed! The both of you! I will deal with your punishment in the morning!"

We glanced at each other before rushing off, only just remembering Mickara, my torch and the sandwich after it was already too late.

At the bottom of the stairs and outside the door, we both breathed out a silent sigh of relief that we hadn't gotten in worse trouble, or that Victor didn't find out what we were truly doing.

"Thank God-but we didn't get to find the phonograph."

Jerome sighed silently before coming up with the idea, "Maybe again. Different time. Tomorrow night, yeah?"

"Okay. Sure, yeah, maybe. But what about Mick and Mara?"

He got caught, confused, mouth open and then closed again, and it was hard to believe that it was just connected with mine before he settled on, "Let them be. He'll figure we were double-dating or something."

I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face and he returned it before a new voice asked, "Who's double-dating?" and we jumped apart again, even farther, as if we had been caught kissing once more.

"What-um-nobody!" I hurried to cover up our un-explainable night in the attic to a slightly-shocked, beaming Amber standing there before another dumbfounded Nina and Patricia slowly crept up to join her behind her.

"Were you guys on a date?" Patricia asked, shocked and grinning, and Jerome and I glanced at each other nervously, eyes flashing to the other one's lips and back before spinning around again, super embarrassed.

"Nooo, no, no."

"Yeah, trust me, uh-no." Jerome added, and we both laughed nervously, swaying back and forth slightly, trying to find something else to focus on.

"Then what were you doing in the attic?" Nina asked, and I was about to start with a 'who said we were in the attic' before she pointed matter-of-factly at the wide open door, and we both muttered an 'oh' before Victor's voice and footsteps once again waded down towards us.

"I thought I told you all to go to bed, now leave this instant!"

We all tore off to our different rooms without a second glance, and at the top of the stairs, I looked over to Victor's office suspiciously before Jerome hissed an 'Alice!' accusingly, notifying me of the man's return right behind me before he grabbed my hand and pulled me down the stairs after him, and we both ducked underneath the slight covering against the wall underneath the railing lining the hallway to Victor's office as he headed there himself.

"Little venomous rascals…" He was muttering to himself as he headed into his office, angrily slamming the door shut and turning the light off, and Jerome and I breathed out a silent sigh of relief, his arm removing from me as we turned and headed down the hallway to our two separate room.

"So, um…'night, I guess-." Jerome was cut off by my tight 'night' before I hurried into my room, slamming the door shut before turning back around and slowly sliding down it, hands brought up in front of my face as I drew in a shaking breath.

He kissed me.

Jerome Clarke kissed me.

"Alice?" Fabian asked groggily as he sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly, stifling a yawn as he narrowed his gaze in on me and continued, "Are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah, just, uh…yeah." I nodded a little before getting up and hurrying into my little section of the room, closing and locking the door before slowly backing up and falling back into my bed.

This was wrong. This was all so wrong.

Jerome was the last person I should be falling for.

But the first one I would be expected to.

**So how's that for a short chapter? One of the most pathetic kissing scenes I've ever wrote. And trust me, I've wrote many romance stories waaay better...*sigh* but I PROMISE that my skills will get better. I hope. XD**

**SO, love? Hate? Either one, I'd love to hear your feedback in the reviews.**

**Peace. Love. Quest Crew. XD**


	12. Chapter 12: Fragments of Memories

**Sheesh, another classic, long chapter.**

**Guess I'm startin' to get in my old habit again. =)**

**But I really felt like I needed to just post something with this to say that I sort of feel like a jerk for making such a strong decision earlier for posting a new chapter right after I made that short notice because it made it seem like I just wanted a reaction from people or more reviews or something which I totally did _NOT! _I seriously am considering it, and I just really want people to know that and not think I'm desperate for more reviews for my OC story. I'm perfectly happy with the pretty devoted readers I have right now. XD**

**And by the way, both the last chapter before this, this one, and a few after this I have written actually a week or two ago. I just hadn't gotten time to post them and didn't want to if I wasn't set on continuing-which I'm still not sure on, although I'm really starting to think I should try. Although if I do or don't, I am probably or most definetley going to post the ones I've already wrote because I think you guys who actually like my story deserve that much.**

**So anyway, this chap. (WHICH I DON'T OWN ANYTHING IN EXCEPT FOR MY OCs)is just a lot of extraneous flashbacks and memories from basically just copying, pasting and shortening things I've written before in the story and italiscizing it to make it look all cool and stuff, so you can probably skip the second half of it.**

**Once again, many typos and mistakes which I would be more than happy if you would point out or gave constructive critcism or even just reviewed. It just makes me ecstatic (sheesh that's becoming my catch phrase or somethin').**

**Oh btw, I forgot to add to gUardianAngeL742 that yes, in fact, Jerome is gorgeous. XD  
**

Chapter 12

Fragments of Memories

Third Person -Following Jerome—

Jerome snuck into his room quietly, shutting it and taking a deep breath before turning and letting out a short yelp when he saw Alfie sitting at his desk expectantly.

"What are you doing?" Jerome hissed, and a smirking Alfie was arms crossed replied with a simple 'I could ask you the same thing'.

Jerome sighed. "Okay, great. So, let's just both head off to bed and postpone any conversations until morning, 'kay?"

"Aw, did Alice hurt your feelings, mate?" Alfie asked somewhat snidely, his goofy old grin still placed across his face as Jerome glared at him while he slid under the covers on his bed.

"Oh shut it, Alfie, Alice has absolutely nothing to do with anything. Believe me." He jabbed a finger in his own chest as Alfie rose his eyebrows, bringing his hands up in surrender as he went over to plop down in his own bed.

"Alright, alright, sheesh, I was just kidding." He said as he stopped before settling down in his bed. "What were you doing anyway, then, mate?"

Jerome hesitated, not able to come up with an excuse. "What were you doing at my laptop?"

Alfie narrowed his gaze in on him suspiciously. The younger boy knew Jerome well enough with his prevarications, and he knew that it did in fact have something to do with Alice-but something else that he was unwilling to tell him (well at the moment, at least). "Checking my email. Man, defensive much, Jerome? What's got into you lately?"

"What's gotten into you?" He shot back, and Alfie let mere shock and surprise cross on his face, and he knew that Jerome was suspicious about Sibuna.

"Nothing! Man, I haven't even been in here all day." He sat on the edge of his bed and frowned when he felt something underneath him, then took a shiny iTouch out from underneath it. "But I know that Alice was." He lifted the music device up for Jerome to see. "Who's is this? Is it hers?"

Jerome's eyes widened slightly as realization and memories sunk into him, and his mouth opened as he tried to find what to say and settled on a quiet, "Yeah."

He sighed as he fell back, holding his hands open. "Here, toss it here."

Alfie glanced down at it slowly and back before footsteps echoed outside the door and he chucked it to Jerome and they both ducked to their sides on their beds at the exact same time, pretending to be asleep as Victor walked in, surveying the room before muttering an almost silent 'hmph' and heading back out.

A minute or two later, Jerome lifted up his head slightly to see his so-called best friend fast asleep on his bed, and he cautiously fell back behind the protection of his own blankets as he turned on Alice's iTouch, slightly curious on what he might find.

"Dammit, passcode." He muttered quietly to himself as the forsaken 'PASSWORD' sign flashed above the top, along with the keypad of numbers and four slot holes for them to be entered into, along with a 'space', 'enter' and 'cancel' changing keys also.

He frowned slightly, concentrating on the skull and crossbones background behind it before searching through the back of his mind for possible answers.

Birthday, Jerome, it's always the birthday.

But she doesn't know her birthday, does she?

Silence.

What about 1111-you know, November eleventh?

He paused as he considered it and then nervously and yet still anxiously tapped the '1' number button four times, and a grin slowly appeared on his face as it faded and the menu popped up from it.

'Poor, naïve Alice. I gotta admit, I'd given her more credit than that.', he thought with a smirk as he went all Fabian-and-Nina-curious-snooping mode and clicked on the link to videos.

His eyes widened slightly and then he was taken aback as what must've been at least 50 videos showed up on the screen to be selected from, from just the simple click of a thumb.

His eyes flickered up to the top of the screen, which read: 49 videos.

Close enough.

He settled on one with the picture of a brown-haired boy with matching, dark brown eyes and tan skin, almost having a heart attack and quickly clicking the 'pause' button as loud, clattering, shouting noises filled the room from the device, and he silently cursed himself out for not remembering that it was cranked up on full volume without earbuds.

He slowly turned it back down to volume either one, two or three before clicking play again and leaning closer, enticed by the old recording taking place before him.

"Say hiii, Dylan!" A girl's voice cried from behind the camera, and the brown-haired boy sheepishly grinned and waved to the iTouch and a small gasp escaped Jerome's voice as he barely recognized the voice to be Alice's.

"Yo, yo, Ice!" He called in 'gangsta' style, much to the laughs of the people around him, enhanced by the blasting music and lyrics of 'On Top of the World' by 'T.I.'.

What? Jerome did his music research.

"Oh, oh, Quest Crew dance!" Alice's voice cried as she passed the iTouch clumsily on to someone else as Dylan and her ran up to a little platform and started doing some pretty impressive hip hop dance to it.

"And now I see, see, see, see, 'cause I'm sittin' on top of the world!" The whole, Jerome supposed, dance crew cried in chorus as Alice shoved Dylan down and sat on his defeated form, much to the other's laughs, and Jerome couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

He frowned, partially intrigued by the imagine of the young Alice. She looked almost exactly the same as she did today, except, well, younger…duh.

The music turned to a much softer selection of 'The Poison' by 'The All-American Rejects' (coincidence much? The band name reminded him of Nina) and the person holding the camera now walked over to sit next to a laughing Alice and Dylan.

"So, guys, what day is today?" Another girl's voice waved in over the noise, and they both grinned.

"Alice's birthday!"

Alice's grin grew so wide that it almost seemed like it was about to fall off of her face. "Fourteen years of age!" She held up a small peace sign, starting to strike poses much to the laughs of the others, even earning some from Jerome at a few.

"Yes, but what day is it." The other girl insisted, and they both sighed.

"Shut it, Lydia, it's just simply November 11th." Alice replied in her snide British accent as she took the camera back from the girl, revealing the other one who had orangish-blonde curls as she took a seat next to Dylan, swinging an arm around his neck, practically choking him as they swayed back and forth.

"YESSS, it's true, it is the silly American's day to celebrate their soldiers that diiied." The girl dragged out her words, grinning as she ruffled an annoyed Dylan's hair.

"Ones that we killed, probably." Dylan muttered partially sarcastically, and an abrupt burst of laughter flew of out Jerome's mouth that he ducked into his pillow and blankets slightly to muffle it before clearing his throat, glancing over to make sure Alfie hadn't heard (which he hadn't-he was still half-asleep), before regaining his composure and turning back to the screen.

"Newsflash, Dylan-it's Veterans' Day, and Veterans are soldiers that survived the war and died afterwards." Alice said matter-of-factly, making Jerome smile slightly to himself as Dylan glared back and muttered a snappy 'oh whatever'.

"TEEHEE!" The three of them cried together after a moment of silence, crowding together in front of the camera and hitting ending poses before the video stopped, making Jerome laugh again.

He went back to the selection of videos and clicked on another one.

It was one of a club, and Alice was dancing in a circle of people, in some kind of dance-off-battle-thing or something. Jerome's eyebrows rose in respect because, even he had to admit, she was really good. One of the best freestylers he had ever seen, actually (but then again, of course, he hadn't seen much of those-not being a huge fan of hip hop like Lice herself) and then all of a sudden, her whole, old crew came up from behind her and were dancing all together in a well-rehearsed, but still raw (in a good way) sort of routine.

But then the other, more experienced crew came over, and it was obvious that -even though how good the others (Alice's gang) were/was-they were better and were winning.

And, before he knew it, they did, and everybody was cheering and jumping all around and freaking out that it took a while to notice that mixed in with the screams were some distressed cries of 'ALICE!' and Jerome's eyes and attention was drawn to the terrified girl being pulled away by an older boy, and dragged out of the club as the door slammed.

Then the video ended.

Wild and desperate to find out what had happened to her, Jerome hurriedly went back to the main page, searching through videos with a familiar date with shaking fingers but, before he knew it, the iTouch died of battery-

But not before he saw the pictures of Alice and Dylan of older ages, obviously in love with each other.

And then Alice's words hit Jerome again like a bullet-

"A very literal and sentimental thing that most of us believe to call 'death', Jerome Clarke."

That boy had died.

And Alice was in love with him.

Alice's P.O.V.

I lay in bed after tossing and turning practically half of the night, not able to get any possible wink of sleep at all.

'_"Hello, bad girl Mara is back."'_

How'd we get from that little quip all the way to today, when he _kissed _me?

I sighed, growling at the way my stomach turned inside out, all bright, light, flying and shining when memories of him rushed through my head.

'_"Well at least you got a card."'_

I frowned as the memories of him remembering his parents crossed my mind. God, he was just so cute when he got all sad and defenseless.

'_"It'd probably be because they never actually visit."_

I glanced over Jerome to see his response but instead caught his attempt in a good mood across his glowing face vanish, a bad, painful, yet still neutral one crossing over it yet again. I could sense the darkness of memories haunting him, dancing above his head, taunting him as he stood up to walk away. "Anyways, um, I gotta go."

A sound of sorrow crossed his voice, causing me to sit up, gaze intent on him, forgetting everything else that had happened. I know I had only really known Jerome for a day or two, but I could tell who people were, and it was obvious he wasn't the kind of person to break easily.'

I was right. He was strong, tough and emotionless—but recent days and more to come would prove otherwise in all of us.

'"No, just…places to go, people to see."'

But that wasn't true, was it? He had nobody, and he knew it. We all did, but all anybody else did was shun him with his stereotype—but he didn't deserve that. He deserved more. Somebody who really understood him and was going to stick with him through everything.

But what about Alfie?

'_"Alfie, buddy, are you alright!" Jerome asked as he shot forward to grasp Alfie's shoulders._

_Jerome wheeled on the others, glaring as Alfie leaned against him, still trying to catch up and control his breathing as Clarke spat, "What did you guys do to him!"_

_"We didn't do anything!" Fabian cried in response, bewilderment written all across his face._

_"Yes, you did!" He accused, anger and fear for his best friend obvious in his eyes. "Just like how you traumatized him after his trip to the cellar!" His eyes darted to some broken down stove next to the ordinary one, and then his voice turned to drip pure venom as he continued, "Did you take him back down there again?"_

_They all glanced at each other nervously before stating in chorus, "No!"_

_He glared at them before turning back to Alfie, his eyes softening as he kept his arm wrapped around him protectively, as if he could shield him from all the hurt in the world while he turned and towed him outside the room. "Come on, mate, let's get you out of here and back to our room."_

_Alfie nodded weakly, just about to calm down as Jerome turned his head back around and barked towards me, "Alice, take his other side!" and I rushed forward to help, draping my arm across the slouching, young, memory-stricken boy's back and onto one of Jerome's shoulders.'_

Man, he actually cared so much about Alfie. They were, like, the best of friends—Lewis and Clarke, of course. And it was so sad to see them being torn apart.

And then me?

'"_Hello, Robert Pattinson wanna-be."'_

'"_What, I'm not enough for you, Clarke?"'_

'"_Including just some of the following: sarcastic attitude, blackmailing, Robert Pattinson trivia…"'_

'"_I dunno, why don't you ask his number one adoring fan over there?"'_

Man, the whole Robert Pattinson thing got really hackneyed and old fast, didn't it?

Plus, Jerome's cuter than that sparkling vampire anyway.

BUT ANYWHO!

'"_Nice man purse!"'_

'"_As long as he's a four too."'_

'"_I'd surely like to see and would be all foUr the results."'_

'"_So, what are you, Jerome, four years old?"'_

Oh my God, I just realized the punny part in that sentence that I pulled off.

'"_I'll go on a date with you Jerome!'"_

'"_Don't worry, Jerome, I'll be willing to watch the movie with you."'_

'"_Temper, much?"'_

'"_Nice move, Clarke. Although, I don't think a girl would fancy you after you ruined her perfect evening with her even more perfect boyfriend that you could never in fact even be as perfect as."'_

'"_I'm not a textbook, Clarke, so stop checking me out."'_

Yes, more punny pwn lines!

'"_Fortuitous bastard."'_

'"_I live here, what do you think, Jerk-ome?"'_

Okay THAT was definitely my worst quip ever.

'"_Biggest _(flirt),_ not best."'_

'"_Believe it or not, I care about things and people, Clarke. Even though I wouldn't show it, like you—but I must say, your feelings for Mara are really quite obvious and desperate, and it's almost quite as obvious that she'll never, ever feel the same way about you, so why don't you give up."'_

'"_How do you know something, as if like a feeling, if you've never felt it."'_

'"_I'd expect you to feel the same way, Clarke-expecting that besides that you'd never felt anything else, especially from those impeccable parents of yours."'_

'"_Oh, yeah, and let me guess—you're Jerome; the little insensitive jerk who never cares about anybody but himself, but just runs around making bets and pranking people, not even caring about their feelings and being inconsiderate when it goes too far-but, I haven't finished yet._

"_There's some kind of secret that you keep deep inside of you-emotions and memories that you lock up, trying to prove to yourself that you can live life on your own and make yourself out as okay, even though you truly are not and really worth nothing."'_

Okay, so maybe I haven't treated him the best—but what about the many ways _he's _acted around _me_?

_All of a sudden Jerome tugged me backwards and I fell into him, shocked, as he wrapped his arm around me, and I instantly relaxed and began to snuggle up against him at the warmth radiating from his body. I breathed in the familiar scent of his cologne, smiling a little bit into his dampened, white-and green striped collared shirt as I clutched his gray vest resting over it, and his hand reached up to absent-mindedly stroke my hair._

Then the whole scene following afterwards of him sharing part of his brighter story with me in the rain, us walking back to the house hand-in-hand, and everybody giving us a hard time about it.

And when he was worried about somebody else besides Alfie—particularly me? It was very interesting.

_Worry slowly crept into his voice. Wait, since when was he to worry about me? I was Alice. The girl he was supposed was supposed to hate. Even though we had the same numbers in numerology and everything…that meant absolutely nothing, he didn't give a damn about any bitch around here except for Mara-except, he was sort of nice to me that one time about my parents…but why would I care about him either, considering how mean he was sometimes, but although, I had to admit, sort of cute…_

But a gasp caught my attention and I slightly looked up, pain written all over my face and a hand on the back of my head.

His icy blue eyes locked with mine, and for a second, they seemed to melt, and then—

But then again, he barely showed his emotions or past, didn't he?

But on the occasions when he did…

'"_You know I've been at school since I was…five years old."'  
_

'"_You just learn how to….hide your emotions."'_

'"_I'm actually a very deep person, Mara."'_

Suddenly it hit me—Mara. He was in love with Mara. Not me.

I mean, even look at the proof!

'"_I nominate Mara Jeffray!"'_

'"_Ouch-that's more like the Jerome I know and love." Mara grinned and my eyebrows shot up even more as my head whipped around to see Jerome's reaction, which was a sudden jolt of shock as he fell back slightly, a slow, joyful grin slowly pulling up along his lips…'_

'"_Welcome to 'We Love Mara Land-Population: Jerome'!"'_

'_"You will __never __win against Mara and me!" Jerome cut in, defensive of his little crush, like always.'_

'_"Hey, Mara," He started, sliding his way in-between her and the long wall of lockers and looming in that one special way he did. I leaned against the wall nearby, suddenly interested on what his sudden next move would be, "how do you fancy going out for lunch with me somewhere off campus?"_

_"Are you…asking me out on a date?" Mara asked, sort of shocked and, *gasp*, was that happiness I saw set on her face?_

_Jerome shrugged a little, smiling slightly down at her, eyes soft and warm like the sparkling of melted winter snow._

_The way he always was around her.'_

I had to blink back the tears starting in my eyes, growling at the thought of how that boy could make my emotions go all crazy and instead focused on the other one—the flashback—again.

'_"Mara," Jerome cut off, good mood suddenly replaced with bad at the mention of Mick, as he placed his hands on her shoulders, hunching down to her shoulders, trying to look her in the eyes and get a hold of her attention. "…look at you, you're…bright and pretty."'_

I gritted my teeth, an insanely jealous voice in my head growling 'what the hell does he even see in her!'.

'_He called to her retreating back and figure, desperately trying to get her to come back, to stay with him, and to just hear him and his offer out one last time. "I guess it's no to lunch then."_

_"I'll go on a date with you Jerome!" I called half-mockingly from the shadows, grinning as I moved up to stand next to him.'_

I sighed, still not believing what I had said and the advice I had given him afterwards when I could've totally sabotaged everything.

'_"WAIT!"_

_"What, Jerome?"_

_"Were you serious about going on the date with me?"'_

The words he said suddenly warmed my heart and stomach, calming my heart for some odd, strange reason. I began to wonder if he took me seriously in the first place, or if the whole thing was just considered as a joke.

I mean, _I _meant it as a joke.

Didn't I?

'_"I'm not interested in Clarke's many issues…"'_

I couldn't help the scowl that rose up my throat when I remembered Victor's words the very first day I got here. Those jerks knew nothing about him.

But then again, how was I any different?

That's the thing. I wasn't.

I was probably even the worst match for him possible. He deserved somebody way better.

But I wouldn't let him go, now, would I?

Dammit.

Yes, damn my _own _many issues that he hasn't even ever seemed to care about, right?

_'"No, no way, ever."_

"'_Hey, Jerome'. Okay, now let's move on, eat, and then get out of here as soon as possible."  
_

"_Now you're starting to sound like me."  
_

"_Ooh no, Jerome, you're worst nightmare come true."_

_"Anyway, I gotta go soon. Ya now, find Mara. Talk to her about…stuff."_

_"Ooohhh, __Mara, __is it, eh, mate?"_

_"What's going between you two, huh?"_

_"Nothing. Absolutely __nothing__." _

_"Ooh, defensive, eh?"_

_"No, I'm not. Besides, I was going to go and offer her for my assistance in her quest for being school rep. as her campaign manager."_

_"Well that will turn out nicely."_

_"Oh whatever. I'm going anyway, considering you don't want this insensitive little jerk in your presence. I'll catch you later, Alfie."'_

Yes, I thought that we already established that he likes Mara way more than me.

'_Jerome's lips tightened in a tight fake-smile as he blinked a few times and pulled himself out of his daze, back to his work, while Mara handed the items back to Amber.'_

'Jerome glanced up and down and back again, trying to hide his obvious eagerness to see what Mara's number was and if it matched Mick's or not (and obviously hoping it did not).'

' "Don't that say that you go to someone different from you?" Jerome called from the kitchen, distracted and almost-entirely forgetting about his un-finished work as he tried to mask his hopeful voice. I tried to hide the smirk that appeared over my lips when I realized how much he wanted and needed and was dying to be the right 'one'. Jara. Haha, how nauseatingly cute was that?'

It was freakin' _**UGLY!**__  
_

'"_Not in this chart no."_

_The hopeful smile resting on Jerome's lips instantly evaporated as he slowly sank back, hands curling into fists, then quickly covering everything up by turning back to the counter and angrily scrubbing it with nails digging sharply into the cloth.'_

_'My gaze shunted over to Jerome-poor, poor Jerome. Jealous, angry, and hurt. But he obviously didn't-and couldn't-believe in that stuff. But did he-did he really have that strong of feelings?'_

_'"Well there might possibly, in fact, most certainly be something right about this-you're a ten. Just. Like. Jerome."'_

'"_And you are sure that I'm not a four?"'_

Wow, thoughts, you just have to be a real jerk to me even though we've already covered Jerome's whole crush on Mara, don't you?

But then again there was his jealousy and bitter hatred towards her….

'_Jerome grinned as he decided to change the subject. "Anyways, let's talk policies, I-"_

_"Um…" Another new voice cut them off and we all looked over to see Mick standing there. "…hi."_

_"Mick!" Mara cried as she flung herself up off of the couch to envelope him in a hug._

_Jerome's face crossed with disgust and annoyance as he thrust the poster aside on the sofa, refusing to look at them, but glancing back with a clear look of jealousy anyway.'_

I frowned. Sheesh, I felt so bad for him. He was so totally in love with somebody who felt the same about somebody else.

'_"Who's sick of living in the same house of the school's classic stupid boyfriend-snatcher?" Amber snapped back in such an angry, British-accented voice that I was sure I misinterpreted what she had said._

_The preps in the background simply snapped their fingers as everyone fell back with a silent 'ooh it's over now, she won' while Jerome swung his jacket down from his shoulder, teeth gritted together and frustration along with the need for revenge set across his face._

_"You know what? We all know the truth, Amber. You're only running for school rep because you're jealous that Mick likes me far more than he EVER liked YOU!"_

_Jerome shifted uncomfortably, plain hurt, sorrow and the reminder of the painful memories of Mickara crossing his mind as he glanced down, hands going limp as his jacket swung lifelessly.'_

Sheesh, he just had to be reminded of his sorrow and pain everywhere he went, didn't he?

'_"I just rented this from the DVD club;" Jerome started as he stood up at the table, holding a movie case in his hand while he moved around to the other side to sit next to Mara. I snickered quietly from the kitchen at his pathetic attempts to get her to notice and go out with him. "it is a comedy about a school election-do you fancy watching it, for a few tips?"'_

_"Hey Mara, fancy going on a walk?"_

_"Isn't supper almost ready?"_

_"Um, Trudy's gonna save some for us, come on…and…I got a surprise for you later."_

_"I thought we were gonna watch this later!"_

"_Um…maybe!"'_

And then my ever-so-classic 'I'll watch the movie with you' Jerome line, and he getting all pissed off and throwing out a gruesome line at me.

'_"If you want to make yourself nice and useful then why don't you just go back to where you came from in the first place?"'_

I shut my eyes tight, forcing it out of my head and skimming to a time later that night.

'_I saw the slightly rejected, sorrowful look on his face as he half-heartedly held up the DVD he had rented and asked, "I thought we were gonna watch this movie together."_

_"Oh, Jerome, I'm sorry…I didn't realize you meant tonight, you never specified."_

_He answered plainly, "I did."_

_"It's just that…with it being Mick's first night back and everything, he's planning something __romantic.__" I looked back to see her grinning like a quixotic idiot, causing me to roll my eyes again as Jerome still kept the painful replies coming._

_"So you and him are definitely, like…?"_

_"Back on, yeah." She finished for him as he trailed off, almost not believing what he was hearing-and obviously trying to avoid it and not to. She beamed like an idiot up at him as his eyes revealed all his pain and unbelief as he fell back on his heels slightly, jaw tightening as she continued with the another suggestion, "So…maybe we can watch the DVD another night, yeah?" She stared at him, eyes pleading and hopeful. "Tomorrow, maybe?"_

_"Sure." He responded blandly. "No problemo."_

_"'Kay." She answered almost silently, voice cracking with excitement as she turned back towards her mirror, considering the dresses again as Jerome turned away slowly, blinking a few times, pain expressed all across his face as he headed out the door.'_

_He went past ahead of me, tearing down one of Mara's campaign election posters (the one that __he made__) on the way._

_I got an even closer look at the look on his face. He really __was __hurt—and liked Mara __way __more than I had __ever __expected (and trust me, that was a lot). He had spent so much time building up his precious, precisely organized cold, hard, black brick walls, protecting his actually delicate heart only to have it torn down by some stupid chick who sent the dagger straight in without even knowing it, which was what he was trying to save himself from all along._

_She's not worth it, Jerome.__I imagined myself saying it, stepping up to him and placing my hand on his arm, and he would stop and glance down at me, smiling, eyes softening to warm, melting snowflakes in the glorious sun and then—'_

But I never told him, did I?

And I really should've.

'_"You could say that." Jerome shrugged slightly as he slid his hands into his back pockets. His voice was hard and cold as the ice in his eyes as he continued, "I just wanted to have a word about fire hazards."_

_I shook my head slightly, trying to ignore how hot I sort of thought he sounded… '_

Sheesh he _did _look hot when he said that, didn't he?

'_"Well, he really hates candles." I heard Mara say, and they laughed more and Jerome mimicked her as he turned on his heels and walked down the hallway, shoulders slumped slightly and disappointed although not willing to show it._

_"Nice move, Clarke. Although, I don't think a girl would fancy you after you ruined her perfect evening with her even more perfect boyfriend that you could never in fact even be as perfect as."_

_"Coming from the girl who has no boyfriend herself."_

_"I'm not interested in love. No, actually, in fact, I don't really __believe __in love. It's just…I dunno…a total, complete waste of time." I glanced up at him to see his expression hadn't changed, which made me snap, "I'm not a textbook, Clarke, so stop checking me out."_

Then the rest afterwards of our little, lighthearted conversation about randomness until it ended with,

'_I smiled and took his hand in my own, shaking it, trying to ignore the fact of how soft and smooth they were, and how much I liked it, and how much I really-in fact, __loved__-the rush of electricity that ran up my arm at his touch and—'_

I smiled as the memory abruptly ended, not able to help the way he still made me feel—possibly even more than he did back then.

Considering that he kissed me.

My heart nearly stopped as the events of earlier tonight resurfaced, and my mind couldn't help but wander off to the times when he was so sweet.

But I quickly drowned them out with a hard 'and what about when he WASN'T nice to me?'.

'_"Nobody has ever loved you, either. Not your mysterious parents, or any possibly siblings you could've had-but most importantly, nobody you ever knew. None of those dance crews that you've hung with your whole life-not even that boy in that one that you fancied." I froze, shocked by his words. "What was his name? Dylan?"'_

It still shocked me on how he knew so much. Really, how did he figure that out, anyway? How the hell could he know!

'"_Oh I know far more than you could have ever imagined." _Wow. Perfectly fitting._ "What happened to him anyway? I mean he was your best friend, anyway, right? Isn't that what you always say?_

"_Keyword-was, Alice. He was. Not anymore, eh? So what really happened? He leave you like how everybody else abandoned you—but, then again, you left them, didn't you? You left all of them-except for that one crew, the ones you trusted and loved most, who made that bet that gave you over to somebody else right? Proving once again that they didn't love you. I bet you Dylan didn't even when he saved you._

_"So what happened to him?"'_

And then my own voice,

'_"A very literal and sentimental thing that most of us believe to call 'death', Jerome Clarke."'_

'_"Finish surveying yet?" Jerome's voice sarcastically asked, and I turned to see him leaning against the wooden post at the end of Alfie's bed._

_I cleared my throat and shrugged a little. "Yeah, uh, whatever, but…" I was about to ask 'where are all the pictures of your family and friends?', considering everyone else's rooms were stocked __full __of them (I mean, seriously, even __I __had a few of my own friends and 'families) before I remembered._

_He raised his eyebrow as he got up off the post and walked over to me. "But what?"_

_I cleared again, averting my eyes and muttering a 'nothing' before turning and heading out the door._

_"Alice, uh, wait a second." I stopped and turned to see him hesitating slightly before continuing, "Thanks…for tonight. I don't get to talk to people like that often."_

_I shrugged a little. "Neither do I."'_

Then another memory randomly flashed before my eyes. One a while ago, when I first noticed his gorgeous blue eyes, a little bit after he had called out to Alfie about Amelia Binches:

'"_You can run but you can't hide, mate."_

_"Same goes for Mara and you. Poor, poor girl." I laughed to myself as I walked beside him, and he glared at me._

_"Oh shut it, would you…" His mind searched through its memory for a last name, before I cut him off with a 'don't have one, remember?'. "Oh yeah." He frowned slightly. "That is weird, you know. I mean, how can you just go waltzing around with no full name, you'd have to not have or remember your family or something."_

_I practically shut down, just like his reaction to the mention of his __own __parents earlier. "I, um, yeah, gotta, er, go now, so, uh, bye, I…guess."_

_His frown grew deeper, eyebrows scrunched together as he swung his jacket down from the usual place where he kept it draped over his shoulder by sticking his finger through the tag. "Hey, Alice wait up!" He caught up with me as I stopped, sighing with my hand on the door._

_"What, Jerome?"_

_He wringed his jacket slightly nervously but still without breaking his gaze from mine as he whispered softly, "Who are you? Where are you from? Why are you here?"_

_I gazed deeply into those blue eyes, just realizing how gorgeous and enticing they were, and I just almost slipped away from my guard and broke down, telling him everything…_

_Key word=__almost__.'_

And I couldn't break down. No matter what happened, I couldn't let him get to me. I was Alice—emotionless and no need for love. And that's how it was going to stay.

For a while.

I turned to the side, opening my eyes wide open and letting out a shriek when I saw the spider sitting on my bedside table.

It sat there facing me, and it was so creepily disgusting it practically made my skin crawl. I backed away from it fast, but as I did so it moved forward, and I had to take a close look at it before I realized what it was.

"Oh…" I took a deep breath as the goosebumps rose all over my skin. "…my God."

It was the spider I had killed during breakfast a few days ago.

I know it sounds crazy and paranoid, but I was sure it was the same spider. It was huge and furry and black and creepy and had its legs and body parts attached back to itself in the most disgustingly random uncoordinated way ever possible.

"Alice?" Fabian asked, now up and knocking on the divider slightly. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah," I called nervously, not able to tear my eyes away from the resurrected insect in front of me. "J-just a spider!"

I leaned closer to the beast as I hissed again, "Just a spider. Now DIE!"

I picked up my slipper and started beating down on it as Fabian muttered 'uh, okay…' and awkwardly moved back to his bed, getting back underneath the covers quickly but slowly, shoving his earbuds in his ears to block out the noise of me killing the bug.

Again.

Well, at least I didn't really lie.

BONUS!

Anyway, after that little scene was finished with, I turned away towards the opposite side of the room, away from everything else as I drew the covers up around me, trying to push all of the crazy theories away from me and out of my mind as I snuggled up close to my Skelanimal. It was the bat-Diego, I recalled his name being-, the one Dylan had gotten for me for my fifteenth birthday.

Yeah, you know, the day he died.

I took in a deep, hissing breath, shutting my eyes tight, as if it would block any insight from the memory, even though it only practically made it worse.

I didn't know how he died. I couldn't remembered. Nobody really knew what had happened-if he got in a car crash, was murdered, committed suicide-whatever. It was just wiped from all our memories.

And I was glad of it.

My eyes landed on the bright, neon green letters on my digital alarm clock, and right next to it the date.

I was right.

It was November 11th.

The day of my birth but also the one of my best friend's death.

The best friend who I had so dearly loved but never gotten to tell.

I blinked away the tears as I fell back against my pillows, hastily clutching Diego to my chest as I stared up at the ceiling, allowing myself to fall into the bottomless pit of washed up memories and soon ending up in a deep, lethargic sleep…

And dreamed of more flashbacks.

_"Come to tell me what a mean, horrid person I am?" Jerome asked as he set a magazine aside, guilt and regret obviously written all over his face and obvious in his voice, even though he tried to mask it over in that neutral way he so often did._

_"Listen, Jerome—I really appreciate all your help on everything, but I'm not the smear campaign type!"_

_"I know." He replied, voice soft and quiet and so unlike his own. His walls were being torn down—he starting to show his heart to her and deciding to admit his everything._

_He searched for the right words, mouth still open, lips moving slightly as he tried to find his voice before he stood up and pointed at her before sliding his hands back into his pockets, saying, "You know, I wish I could be normal like you;" She looked up at him admiringly, interested in what he was saying as he elaborated, "do the right thing."_

_He paused slightly, giving her a slightly studying look before asking, interest set in his eyes, "Do you remember how you felt when your parents dropped you off here for the very first time?"_

_"Yeah, nervous…nauseous." She started as she trailed off, remembering the memory as he watched her and the smile that appeared on her face at the mention of her parents, interested and intrigued at the story about her bond with them and how much they seemed to love her-everything he had seemingly never known. "But, I know they weren't abandoning me!" A jolt ran through his body as he fell back slightly, face turning solemn instantly-but Mara didn't seem to notice. "They just wanted me to have a good future!"_

_Jerome shook his head slightly as he admitted, voice about to break, "My parents…wanted something else…" She stared up at him, confused and wondering as he continued sadly, gulping, taking in a deep breath and then letting it out in a hard, fast gush as he finished off quickly, "…to get rid of me." He took a deep breath and then finished off with hard emotion set in his face and voice, "They left me here, to rot." His eyes flashed away, not able to face her as he admitted, "And I guess that's what I did."_

_"You're not rotten, Jerome!" She tried to convince him as she set a hand on his arm, rubbing it up and down slightly as he looked back over at her, locking eyes before she looked away and started on the question that was really bothering her-the reason why she came here in the first place._

_"I have a question…" Jerome slowly looked back over to her, a surprised, real, joyful, hopeful and such a gorgeous smile playing over his lips as his eyes softened up to true joy as he thought she was going to ask him about, but then his gaze hardened again as his jaw set and he looked away as she continued, "…what you said to Mick about people in glass houses and keeping secrets….is he…" She tried a different route as Jerome stared down at the floor solemnly. "was he seeing someone else while he was away?"_

_She finished it in a rush to get out and he hesitated, "I so badly want to say yes…But hey, I can't." He tried for a small, tired, and defenselessly sad smile. "I guess you bring out the best in me Mara Jeffray."_

_"So, what?" She asked, slightly fed up of all the long waits to find out answers to secrets and partially distressed and just plain flat out tired, too._

_After a brief hesitation, knowing he'd regret it later, he tentatively leaned over, reached into his backpack and took out the envelope he had taken from the ground where Mick had dropped it earlier and handed it over to her, rubbing one of his hands up and down his face and over his eye in frustration as she quickly read and skimmed and glanced over it._

_"He didn't get the scholarship?" She asked, and Jerome quickly, shortly hesitated again before simply answering with a plain, hard 'no' before sitting back down on his bed._

_"But…why wouldn't he tell me?"_

_He glanced up to her, the obvious truth about how he felt written all over in his gorgeous, deep blue eyes as he replied, his voice soft and falling fast, "Maybe some people like keeping secrets…?"_

_**Just like me.**_And then I woke up to the spiders.


	13. Chapter 13: The Light

**So how's that for a horribly stupid cliffhanger ehhh!**

**XD I know what you're all thinking. 'OHMYGOD SHE'S ALIVE' or 'OHMYGOD YES SHE'S ALIVE' or most likely 'OHMYGOD NO SHE'S ALIVE'! Lmfao well, lately, I've been really busy with school work because I've been trying to devote myelf to it and...AHA oh my gawrsh that was freakin' hilarious I almost fooled myself there! Not really. It was just that bad. And school freakin' sux that much. But luckily History Day will be over by like next Monday but then we have to launch headfirst into the CBA _RIGHT _after and then more stupid math HW and science with the worst teacher and the stupid MSP and...*dramatic sigh* I'm really starting to turn more into an Alice. Speaking of Alice I was listening to the extended version of Alice by Avril Lavigne and I was just like 'OH SHNAP this fits my character Alice exactly!'**

**Anywho, pretty short chapter, little recap at the beginning, even though most of you have probably given up on me and nobody reads ANs I got a lot in store from random ideas floating around in my head, probably continuing the story. R&R AND MAYBE I'LL CREATE AN OC OF YOU IN THE STORY WHEN THE WHOLE GANG FINALLY-**

Chapter 13

The Light

**_He glanced up to her, the obvious truth about how he felt written all over in his gorgeous, deep blue eyes as he replied, his voice soft and __falling fast, "Maybe some people like keeping secrets…?"_**

_**Just like me.**___

_**And then I woke up to the spiders. **_

They were strewn all across the room, hanging off of their perfect, impeccable, spun spider-webs all around me, and before I knew it, I was screaming bloody murder and everybody was piled outside my door.

"What's going on?" Nina.

"Is Alice in there?" Jerome.

"Where's Victor? I need the master keys!" Trudy.

There was the sound of somebody rushing away-Trudy, I supposed, to go get Victor-but instead his familiar heavily-booted feet stomped into the room and he called out a 'What's going on in here!' and everybody replied with a distressed 'ALICE!' before he unlocked the divider and finally, gratefully, opened it.

Everybody gasped at the sight seen, and most either screamed also or cringed back.

Victor's hard gaze finally settled on me, and it turned even worse and colder. "You!" He accused as he stepped forward, pointing his little ringlet of keys at me. "When were you born, you nasty little girl!"

"I-I-" I stuttered, terrified as Trudy cut off with 'Victor, it's not the poor girl's fault!', but Victor was unconvinced, and instead roared over all the oncoming noise 'WHEN WERE YOU BORN!'

We all just stayed there for a second, terrified, all silent except for the sound of the working spiders around us before I barely whispered, "Today. November 11th."

I took a deep breath as everybody watched nervously and anxiously with intent gazes on me, and Victor continued, "And what time?"

I blinked a few times. "I-I don't know."

He leaned forward, gaze angry and set, breath growling in disgusting curls into my face, "Well find out."

Silence yet again. And then Victor fell back and turned, glaring at everybody before barking, "What are you all doing standing around for! Go to school!" He marched out of the room as he added, "And get this mess cleaned up immediately!" And then he was gone.

I glanced around at the spiders again, blinking back the brimming tears at my eyes before I hastily wiped them away, looking down to see a spider resting on Diego, looking up at me and then-

It was the same freakin' spider as the one I had killed twice.

"Get off!" I cried groggily as I swatted it off of my favorite, prized stuffed animal, but then I screamed yet again and stumbled out of my bed when my hand passed right through it.

Hands caught me before I hit the ground-warm hands, curling around my arms and bringing me up in a protective position as all the spiders slowly retreated silently, along with the back-tracking spider webs, and it was almost as if everything was set in the 'reverse' mode on a TV before it was all like it should've been before.

"Spooky." Alfie muttered from the doorway, and everybody slowly nodded in agreement before they all walked away one by one.

"Are you alright?" I glanced up only to find myself gazing into Jerome's worried, concerned blue eyes as I tore myself from his grip and growled back,

"Yeah, just fine, now get out, I'm changing."

"Do you really want to change into uniform here after all that had just happened?" He asked and I looked at him again as he raised an eyebrow, and I grabbed my school outfitted uniform before shoving past him to go to the bathroom.

I would not give him the satisfaction.

Not ever again.

But I would.

*****_PAGE BREAK THING**

After I had taken a quick shower and was brushing my teeth, fully dressed in my uniform, I set everything aside and absent-mindedly brushed a stray strand of hair from my face before glancing up at the mirror, and, once again, screaming.

Set before me, instead of my own face in the mirror, was one of a zombie.

I know, it sounds really stupid and horror-movie cliché, but it really was there.

And, boy, let me tell you, it was horrible. It was all green, rotten skinned with blood veins pulsing out of it's face and blood dripping from its eye-less sockets, the forbidden red liquid streaming down into its open mouth as it mirrored my expression of a scream while I brought my hands up to my face, and it did as well, bony, shaking hands digging into its lifeless skin and then-

"Get away from me! Leave me alone! Now!" I screamed as I backed away from the mirror, desperate to do anything to get it to leave me alone, and then another face appeared, the zombie now gone.

"Boo." It said, and I gasped and stumbled backwards, still slightly afraid, and it giggled. "Sorry. Did I scare you? Sorry."

It was a girl-she looked around my age, sixteen, now counting today. She had a pale face and light brown hair that flowed out all around her, with matching, smiling eyes.

"I'm Alli. And if I wasn't a sweet, innocent angel from the light, then I suppose that would've been me. But it wasn't. It was the darkness. And that's what you have to escape from."

"W-what do you mean?" I stuttered, still terrified, and she sighed exasperatedly, rolling her eyes as she leaned forward out of the mirror and floated a few inches off the ground in front of me in an innocent, dainty, somewhat ballet-like-position, and I gasped again as I stumbled back, shocked still.

"I mean that they're after you!" She said, and right when she said 'they' it was like a whole different vibe was added to the aroma. It suddenly decreased to dark, and she whipped her head around to look behind her like she could see something terrifying coming for her, and I followed her gaze, almost being able to see it too and then I could, a dark, pitch-black darkness coming forward.

"Look, it's no-longer safe here!" She cried as he rushed forward, face pleading and desperate, high-pitched, kind voice now turning distressed. "Well, it never really was in the first place-but anyway-"

"Oh, you're American." I said somewhat sarcastically, and she gave me a look.

"Not the point, Alice!"

I froze. "How did you-"

"Not the point, I said! They're after you! Didn't you hear me! They're after all of you!"

"All of us!"

"Would you stop interrupting!" She cried, eyes wild. "This is serious! This is the matter of your life, or your death! The scales of life, Alice, remember the scales of life."

"What do you mean the sca-"

"SHUT UP AND LISTEN!" She cried, then slowly took a few deep breaths, regaining herself before continuing, "There are two Chosen Ones-the one on July 7th, 7:00 A.M., and the one on November 11th, 11:11 P.M-they both mean different things, in no possible way relate. The first Chosen One will create the Cup of Ankh-and the second one, you, my dear, must take it, protect it, and then, when the time comes, destroy it."

"But when's the time, Alli, I need help, I-"

"Call Dylan!" She cried as the oncoming darkness showed up from behind her and tore her back, and I screamed as they practically just ate her and she disappeared inside that same, misty black that I had seen the evil Jerome made of earlier.

"Wait! Alli! No!" I cried as I ran forward but was blown back by the forces, hitting the door, blacking out for a second but then back again as I tried to shield myself from the evil before I soon became aware of the screams and batters on the other side of the door, and before I knew it, I fell backwards into Jerome's arms once again as the darkness came swooping out and breezed across all our faces before it dispersed in the house, disappearing for now.

It was silent for a moment before Jerome started shakily, "What…" a deep gulp of both breath and spit, and then, "…was that?"

"The darkness." I whispered slightly non-believably. "And it's after us."

*****_ANOTHER PAGE BREAK THING**

"Look beyond the world through glass…what does that mean?" I heard Fabian and Nina murmuring about as they tried to look for something behind the narrow mirror in the entryway, and I furrowed my eyes together as I stared at them after my little 'meeting Alli and the darkness' scene back there, Jerome, Alfie, Patricia and basically everyone else behind me while we walked up to them and Victor appeared on the staircase.

"What are you two doing?" He asked, and then his gaze flickered to the rest of us, gulping and staring up at him, terrified in silence.

"I was, um…" Nina started as she pushed it back, searching for an excuse. "…just admiring this. Is it Roman? Or…Victorian? I'm kind of an amateur antiques collector."

"You're always snooping…" Victor trailed off, glancing around at all of us before continuing in a strict but still less-than-usual, semi-tired and anxious voice, "Get off to school, all of you."

We all rushed out the door before Victor called out yet again in a too-sweet voice, "Oh and Miss Martin!"

You could almost hear the dramatic 'DUNNN' of the piano as she slowly turned around and walked up to face him, gulping and terrified as Victor spun around to face down on her, gesturing her forward calmly with one of his hands.. "Very public spirited of you to visit the sick and elderly, however, try to restrict your visits in the future to weekends only."

Nina gasped as confusing shock mustered up on Fabian's face, and I glanced back and silently mouthed 'Sara' to Jerome, and he nodded before both or eyes flashed back to the two out still in the entryway.

"What? What visits-I don't know what you're talking about-"

"Emily Grant." Victor cut off Nina's blabbering, horrible lying excuses, and she tried to take another route out.

She acted as if realization was dawning on her and acted out a 'duh-I'm-stupid' moment, saying, "Emily, yeah, of course, um…yeah. Weekends only. Got it." She gave in as she, voice partially soft and scared as she sank back to Fabian who stared suspiciously at Victor while he slowly shut the door, and they both turned to see Jerome and me standing there, staring at them in partial confusion and wonder.

"What are you guys looking at?" Fabian asked, and I replied,

"That's what I'd like to know." I replied snidely and Jerome grinned and nudged my shoulder slightly, saying,

"Come on, Lice, let's go to school."

We both turned slowly and headed out before, hmm, 'Fabina', I believe their couple name was.

"Y'know that little pet name that you've made for me is becoming quite hackneyed."

"Ehh." He shrugged a little as we slowly made our way across to the school-yard. "I still like it, though."

"You know what else I like?" I asked as he partially turned to look at me, muttering a 'what?' as he bit into a banana muffin he had stolen from Mickara's batch for the campaign, and, speaking of Mickara… "That Mickara back there now knows what we were doing up in the attic, and we have to let them in on everything."

He sighed as he averted his gaze to ahead of him. "I know, I know, I-"

"You know what, actually, I don't like that thought much-especially because of the fact that it was partially your fault that we just had to drag Mara along."

"That made absolutely no sense at all-but anywho, it was both our faults that Mick heard us, and we would've had to tell him, and he would've ended up telling Mara and-well, no matter what, they would've found out."

I sighed, kicking a pebble on the ground watching as it skipped ahead. "I wonder if this is what happened to Sibuna on so many occasions…"

Jerome sighed too and switched the conversation to something a little more awkward and important at the moment, slightly bouncing up and down and all over the place with anticipation as he started, "Uh, Alice, speaking of last night, and, um…about the kiss…er….-"

"Oh, yeah, I know, Jerome." I cut him off, and he looked at me in surprise, eyebrows raised.

"You do?" I had to tear myself away from his gorgeous, deep blue eyes before continuing,

"Um, yeah-I know it was just a meaningless plan so Victor wouldn't catch us snooping around-and, I must admit, it was a pretty good one-but anyway, I'm way over it-in fact, I was never really into it-but anywho-"

"Yeah, 'kay, I get it, Lice."

I sighed a little bit. "Anyway, it was probably good to make Mara jealous and want for you, right?"

He stopped in front of me, eyes widening, half-eaten muffin going limp in his hand. "Oh God, they saw us, didn't they?"

I finally began to just notice this myself, and even though I was screaming 'SHIT!' in my head, out loud I acted innocently and asked, "What? Who? Mickara?"

"Yes!" Jerome cried, a horrid, scared look scratched all over his face. "They did! Oh, God, they saw us kiss-and now it's going to be all over the school!"

"Oh, I highly doubt it, Jerome-this is Mick and Mara we're talking about, not Amber."

"I know, but still-…you never do know, in fact, I don't, even."

I couldn't help but smile at him as I nodded towards the big doors leading into the entrance of the school, muttering a 'come on' as we headed inside.

*****_SO MANY FREAKIN' PAGE BREAK THINGS!**

"This is a massive track! It could be your campaign anthem!"

I rolled my eyes as Mickara headed into the room, sharing one earbud each on an iPod, and couldn't help mimicking 'it could be your campaign anthem' before turning back to my journal in front of me.

I tapped my pencil topper against the silver-binding, not help but wondering where Jerome was-considering I had eventually lost him in the mindless stream of students in the hallway once we had gotten inside.

My eyes flashed up to the clock. Almost time for class. So where was Jerome?

Well, since when did he really care about showing up on time, anyway?

My memory flashed back to when he had said something similar to me-back to a time where everything was easier, with no hard-hitting emotions, and possible links to immortality, and 'Sibuna' or any of that nonsense crap.

"He made me a playlist-how sweet is that?" Mara asked Patricia, and she replied, causing me to laugh,

"Awww, I'm getting a cavitiy it's so sweet."

"Mara!" A new, familiar, deep voice cut her off and she sat down, sharing a pointed look with me as I turned back around and sat up with anticipation and interest but then tried to hide it when I saw the new voice belonged to Jerome. "Did you confront him about that letter?"

Mara turned to face him as he continued, looming over her, a pleading look in his eyes that only I could recognize over all his hiding. "I wouldn't say confront, Jerome-we talked about it."

"And?" Jerome asked, egging her on to tell him about some big breakup or something.

Mara stared up at him in non-belief, and I couldn't help but laugh at the oblivious Mick in the background, rocking out to the music blasting in his ears as the upcoming fight of Jara progressed. "And nothing."

Jerome looked at her, shocked, not believing what he was hearing as he gestured towards Mick again and said, "They guy was keeping secrets from you!"

"He had his reasons!" She turned around and walked back over to Mick, a slow smile appearing over her face as Jerome stared on, stunned, his hand still raised in midair.

"Thanks for all your help on this campaign, guys-" Amber suddenly appeared from the doorway, dumping all her posters and such on the desk in the front of the room as Jerome, Fabina, Mara and I turned to look at her. "I really had to struggle all the way from the art room with this stuff."

"I thought Alfie was going to be your campaign manager." Mara said, slightly confused as she eyed Amber's posters and such.

"Not anymore." Amber replied and we all glanced back behind us to see a disgruntled Alfie in the back of the room, directly behind me, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair.

"Jerome," Mara started all preppy-and-what-not, obviously rubbing it in Amber's face that she had it all worked out with a campaign manager but she didn't. "feel free to talk about our campaign?"

You could see the anger slowly increasing on Jerome's face as he stepped forward, quickly trying to mask it slightly as he started with his wild hand gestures, "You know what Mara, no need."

Everyone in the room glanced over to him now, interested in how this was going to turn out-obviously looking not good so far. "You and Mick carry on with your smoochy-yuck-fest, and I'll do everything, okay?"

Mara looked at him obliviously, and then slowly said, sort of shocked and dumb founded, "That's…very kind of you, Jerome."

"Yeah, well see thing is, I am not kind." He grounded out the words harshly, making them crystal clear in everybody's minds as eh continued, "And I am not a sucker either so you do it yourself."

We all looked at him in confusion and mere shock as he progressed over to Amber and started, "Come on Amber let's celebrate-you've won."

"Huh?" She asked, confused.

"I'm your new campaign manager."

My lips slightly parted in a puff out of breath as my eyes widened and I muttered 'woah' while Jerome turned back to Mara, anger burning out of his eyeballs as Amber started to grin in a 'ha-ha-what-now-bitch' sort of way and it grew even giddier when Jerome ended off with, "Congratulations, loser."

Mara looked at him, scoffing, holding her hands out in a 'WTF-did-I-do' sort of way, glancing around at all of us and finally settling on me who gave her an 'umm-everything-you-stupid-bitch' sort of look, before turning back forward, letting go of my release on my chair and plopping back forward on the ground from leaning back to much, making everyone jump as I got slightly in-between Fabian and Nina and said, "See thing is I don't get why Amber's so happy about that considering what Jerome did to her yesterday."

I sighed and leaned back again before they could respond, mouths slightly opened on the both of them as I cut them off, "Anywho, that's not what I wanted to talk about-what I really wanted to talk about was this whole Cup of Ankh business."

They glanced at each other in shock and worry, and I continued, "Trust me, you guys, I could be a way bigger help than you could possibly EVER imagine-plus, you promised me you'd tell me what was going on in this school, Nina."

All eyes were on her as she took a deep breath and let it out in a rush as she gave in, "Tonight. Attic. I know you were up there last night, and I know it wasn't just because of Jerome and Mickara and whatever-and then we'll tell you everything."

But they still knew nothing compared to what we were really about to learn.

**I know, I know, the whole 'Second Chosen One' thing is so cliche and hackneyed and stupid and I really didn't wanna do it or go through with but it's really neccescary due to my whole 'Chosen Wish' thing that this whole story basically sort of revolves around. Anywho, PLEEEASE read and review and I'll be sooo fa-rickin' grateful and ecstatic even though I've said it so many times and am starting to sound desperate just comment please. Feedback is almost as amazing as Ryan Conferido's headflip and speaking of things I'll never get I don't own anything in this story except my OC. So yeah. Deal with it. XD TEEHEE!**


	14. Chapter 14: The Darkness

**I...uh...I actually have nothing to say right now. O.o**

**I know, a weird change, right? But maybe it's good. My ANs are _sooo _long...and nobody likes those. Lmfao XD**

**So yeah, I don't own anything in this chapter (like HoA or my references to I Am Number Four or Darkest Powers) but I do own a pillow with an actor's face on it that I was obsessed with for a while (NOOO, for the information, I did _NOT _make it, one of my BFFEs made it for me. I don't even really like the guy anymore. Well, no, I still sorta do. He's pretty cute. But he's not British =) but really you guys think I'm _that _obsessive?**

**...No wait don't answer that.  
**

Chapter 14

The Darkness

I walked out of the classroom, radiating with happiness. _Finally, I'm going to find out __everything__._

"Alice." A voice whispered, and I turned around to find the source of it, but soon realized it wasn't human. It _couldn't _be. It was creeping and skin-crawling and…_scary_.

I glanced through a space in the students walking down the hallway around me, where a gush of wind flew down it, whirling around in large circles until it formed into a person, beckoning me to come with them, whispering another 'Alice' before disappearing into thin air again, and the students filled the gap, still talking and laughing, as if they hadn't seen anything.

Which I bet they hadn't.

I felt somebody tugging on my arm and faintly heard Jerome saying 'Alice-Alice, come on, we're gonna be late to class-Alice!' before I glanced to him and back again, eyes furrowed together in confusion before I murmured an 'okay' and followed him to science.

I sat there in boredom at a table with my so far three favorite people in the house-Jerome, Alfie, and Patricia-before Mr. Sweet walked past and dropped a bag filled with some mysterious substance on our bag.

"Go ahead, start."

We all glanced at each other in confusion and I asked quietly, "Uhh, what are we doing, exactly?"

They all shrugged. "I dunno." The three of them replied in unison, and I sighed as I pulled my binder closer to me, starting to doodle again.

"I think what we're supposed to do is-"

"Take these toothpicks and stick them into the brown paper bag, without looking, and see what color worm you take out." Mr. Sweet interrupted Jerome as he handed him a toothpick, and his face wrinkled in disgust as he took it in his hands and repeated,

"_Worms? _Real live worms?"

"Aww-is the big bwad Jewome scwawed of a fwew dwead wowms?" I asked in a sarcastic baby voice, causing Patricia and Alfie to double over in laughter.

"No, I definitely am _not!" _Jerome snapped back to me as he bravely dug the toothpick into the bag until it hit something, and he cringed back in disgust again as a dead worm appeared out of the bag, guts spilling out everywhere from where Jerome's toothpick end stuck into it.

Everybody's laughter around us quickly turned to 'ew's and faces of disgust, but Alfie leaned forward, getting a closer look at the dead bug and muttering 'cool'.

"Oh my God, Jerome, it's moving!" Patricia uttered in shock, staring down at the worm in disgust as it writhed under Jerome's finger while he placed two on top of it, trying to pry it off of the stick as he replied,

"Oh, come on, Trixie, I think I would've felt it if-" He cut off as his eyes slowly progressed down to it and he finished, "-if it was _MOVING!_"

He let go of the toothpick, arms flinging out as he stumbled back from the table, knocking down the full brown paper bag of worms, and what must have been over a hundred real _live _ones spilled out, and Alfie, Patricia and I fell back as well, staring down at the bugs in horror and disgust.

"What is with you and bugs!" Jerome asked me accusingly, and I looked at him, bewildered.

"I didn't do anything!" I cried in response, shocked at the sudden accusation, throwing my arms around in wild gestures as screams echoed throughout the room as my dead-and-now-alive worms scattered everywhere.

"What the _hell _is going on!" Amber shrieked as she jumped up and down, dancing around the wriggling worms on the ground, trying to crawl up onto her the top of her feet-the part that was bare, considering she was wearing ballet flats with no socks.

"Everybody evacuate the building immediately, I'm sure there is a perfectly logical explanation for what is going on!" Mr. Sweet called, ushering us out of the room as we all hurried out while I muttered 'what's with these people and all their logical explanations'-but not before one of the real, live, ancient human skeleton head things turned to us from a case and called 'hey! Where are you all goin'?', causing us all to scream in pure terror.

"What the hell!" Jerome called out, staggering back from the thing, and the head to turn to him as if it was glaring.

"Well you're a nasty-mouthed little boy, aren't you?"

Jerome's innocent, gorgeous blue eyes widened in fear as he became paralyzed for a second before another, full-body skeleton spoke from across the room,

"Aye, which one of you is the Chosen One?"

All the Sibuna members froze and spun around to face it, shocked.

"Chosen One? What on earth is this about a _Chosen One_?" Mara sputtered, for all us Anubis kids were the only ones left inside the room-well, and Mr. Sweet, that is.

"The _second _Chosen One, not the first one-boss has already gotten that whole plan figured out."

"Boss?" I repeated, stepping closer, and everybody's eyes flashed to me. "And who exactly is your _Boss?"_

Everything from around the room froze and slowly turned to me-including all the worms and decomposing/old animals/fossils/_everything_ creepy and unnatural.

"It's you, isn't it?" The skeleton whispered, and I just stared into those empty eye sockets until I heard multiple people scream 'ALICE!' from behind me and I spun around to see them all on the other side of the classroom door, Mr. Sweet locking it and retreating fast.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" Jerome cried as he started after him, but the others held him back quickly.

"Getting Victor and the other teachers now stay calm and wait either exactly there for me or run along."

Jerome started to thrust himself around in the crowd of familiar faces, angrily, desperately trying to go after the man now gone as I spun back around to see everything around me.

"That's her, alright." A new voice spoke up, and I twirled around to see a girl who looked suspiciously like Number 6 in 'I Am Number Four' sitting on Mr. Sweet's desk, one leg crossed over the other, adjusting the fingerless, black leather gloves on one of her hands before getting up to walk over to me.

"Hey, 'sup. Name's Aussie-and before you ask, yes, I'm from the Darkness." She smiled-but it wasn't a kind one-as she slowly paced around me in a circle, black aura snapping around her wildly. "I'm a demon-all of us pretty much are, but the whole 'Dark' thing is a more commonly and nicer euphemism used today, I suppose."

"Demons…d-demons are real?"

She laughed harshly. "Yeah, along with the rest of the lot-half versions of us, witches, werewolves, vampires…at least, I _think _those last two are real. Who knows, just seems like I've read 'Twilight' too many times-or haunted the idiotic fan girl beings who obsess over it."

"What are you doing here?" I asked, voice harsh.

She rose her eyebrows at me. "Wow, you're an angry one, aren't you?" She sighed as she strolled forward again. "Anyway, just thought I'd warn you what you're up against. But, trust me-but this time only-it's gonna become even worse."

"Alice!" A voice cried and I spun around to see the Anubis kids rushing towards me through the now unlocked door to the science room, and before I knew it, somebody had their arms wrapped around me in a hug.

I opened my eyes and looked over everyone's heads holding their worried expressions to the group of teachers at the doorway along with Victor and his master keys; Mr. Sweet, Mrs. Andrews, Mr. Winkler-all the ones that Alfie mentioned.

Something _seriously _wrong was going on here.

"I was so worried-are you alright?" I soon realized it was Jerome's voice at my ear and his arms around me, reminding me too much of how _comfortable _we had gotten in the attic last night, so I pushed him back and murmured and 'I'm fine'.

He still held me by my forearms, gazing deeply into my eyes, worry wound deep in the stunning blue there until everyone else stepped forward.

"Wow, Alice, that was _seriously creepy_-you'd have to be even braver than Nina to stand through that, and I never thought that was even possible!" Amber said in her normal Amber-voice-way as she stepped forward, and everyone else nodded in agreement as Nina shot out an accused 'hey!' and we all laughed.

"Miss Alice, if you don't mind, I think it should be time that you are taken out of Mr. Sweet's science class and into a much suiting one-say, choir, perhaps?" Victor spoke up from the doorway, glancing over at the headmaster who did a double-take and then hurriedly nodded in agreement.

"Excellent, now, if my timing is precise, it is now 11:00 and the bell is about to ring so you should all move to your next classes now." We all stood and stared at Victor as he said these words before he galvanized us to move forward with a strict, classic-voiced, "Move!"

I progressed down the hallway with Jerome and Sibuna, while Mickara strayed away, slightly afraid of me (psh, puh-lease-as if _I _had done all that?) as Fabian murmured, "Interesting…so there are _two _Chosen Ones?"

They all nodded in hasty agreement as Jerome stared at us, eyebrows furrowed together in confusion before he said in his trademark, jokester way, "Well if there were _two_ 'Chosen Ones' they'd have to call them the Chosen _Two_, wouldn't they?"

Everyone all whipped our heads around to face an expecting Jerome, forgetting he was there before throwing out forced laughter, quickly fading as Nina brought everybody closer all together and quickly whispered, "We'll talk later-Sibuna meeting tonight: attic."

They all nodded and headed off their different ways while Jerome and I kept walking to Digital Media.

"What was that about?" He asked, still partially confused, and I shrugged a little before responding with a quick 'nothing'.

He stopped me outside the door, putting his hand across it and leaning over me slightly in the doorway as I found myself looking up into his expecting deep, deep blue eyes. "Alice, I've known you long enough to know when you're lying-now tell me what's going on."

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes for a second and then opening them back up and replying yet again, "It's nothing-really, Jerome."

His smile slowly faded from his face as his voice barely reached above a whisper when he said, "You're one of them now, aren't you?"

"I-I-" I stuttered, feeling much like Chloe Saunders being pressured into telling the uncomfortable truth by Mr. Gorgeous Derek Souza as searching for the right words before he jabbed a finger in my chest, pressing me flat up against the edge of the doorway as he got all up in my face saying,

"Since when did you stop trusting me, Alice!"

"I never stopped-"

"And since when did you _start _trusting _them_!"

"I-I-I-" I stuttered again in yet _another _Chloe moment before a new, familiar voice cut in,

"Yeah, and since when did you just forget about me altogether?"

My heart stopped as the color was drained from my already pale face and I glanced over to see an all-too-familiar figure standing before me in the hallway.

"Dylan."

**DUN DUN DUNNN! Wait? Dylan! Isn't he dead! _What _is going on! XXXDDD Guess you'll have to wait until, like, probably Sunday or possibly even Monday or probably Tuesday. What! I have stupid freakin' History Day! DX BUUUT it's all gonna be over soon, finnnally! And thenz I can probably start writing again-well, at least after I post all the chap.s ive already written. Yes, this chapter and the next one or two to come I wrote like a week or two ago. =/**

**ANYWAY, back to the topic of History Day *gag* we just gotta put our board together and we'll be DONE :D unless we get to state...psha even if they accept us ima jst be like 'HEEELLL NO' unless the prize is to go to a british boarding skool O.O (im not kidding im DYYYING to go to one i ask my mom like everyday but she always says no itll jst be like every american person will be like 'I FEEL LIKE HARRY POTTER WHERES MY WAND' but ill jst be like 'I FEEL LIKE NINA MARTIN BUT NO WAIT WHERES MY FREAKIN JEROME'**

**ANYWHO, lmfao, I really need to stop blabbering. So Ima stop talking now. Sheesh I almost didn't even post this today but was gonna tomorrow but-yeah. Okay. Shutting up. So yah. R&R! BYEEE XXXDDD**

**_Omigosh I'm so sorry I totally spaced and forgot to thank my reviewers for the past two or three chapters!_**

**_First of all, to the classic TeamEdmundAndPeter, it thrills me that you seem to like my story so much and comment EVERY FREAKIN' CHAPTER it makes me ecstatic. (Ik, ik, that's like my second word-other than SIIICK XD)_**

_**And to Sensei's Little Thunder Ninja, I hope this is good enough an update for you XD and OH, thanks for commenting for the second time.**_

_**(IKIK I SAY COMMENT INSTEAD OF REVIEW BUT I'M USED TO LIKE GAIA N SHIZZ FROM A FEW YEARS BACK IDK!)**_

_**ANYWHO I'MA CRASH AND REALLY SHOULD STOP TALKING IN CAPS because it's past ten 'o'clock and i couldn't hear no pin drop :D (OMIGAWD THT FREAKIN' RHYMED DOUBLE TIME-so did tht XD-LIKE A DOUBLE FREAKIN' RAINBOW even tho tht wuz so bad, i had to keep it in there, becuz its jst like a horrible fa-rickin poem XD which im good at sometimes, but i shuld stick to writing stories XD) anywho 'night! XXXDDD**_


	15. Chapter 15: The Past

**Woaaah, been a while since I've updated.**

**XD BUT tis is spring break now, so I'll probably be updating and writing and updating a lot more (nd yes i did mean to say updating twice XD haha) inbetween my full out Harry Potter book and movie marathon (mostly just the parts with Draco, though-in the movie, at least. Especially the 6th one. Because-yeah. Classic book fan though. TEEHEE :D)**

**ANYWHO, quick shout outs to TeamEdmundAndPeter (like always, haha) just to say thx for commenting yet again, I mean, all you guys really have no idea how much it means every time I get a review (which reminds me to say, R&R! XXXDDD). Also more shoutouts to angel2u-oh, you'll find out everything soon enough (and maybe even a little in this chapter) ^=^ and last but not least, moonbeam87 thank you a lot for loving my story, i guess, lmfao and for commenting and being nice and it just makes me ecstatic (again, man, i gotta extend my vocabulary a bit more-not like i get enough SAT ones in my class, but anywho) when i read comments like urs, and im not sure if jerome and alice will even officially get together...hm, who knows! not me! i jst basically make most of it up as i go along!**

**but im blabbering now and starting to go into txt talk so jst read and review and remember that i dont own anything including the word glambitous that my preppy friend made up yesterday. the only thing i do claim to be mine or my OCs. thats why theyre called 'original characters' and i say 'my'...ya so R&R! XXXDDD**

Chapter 15

The Past

"Dylan?" Jerome repeated as he leaned back slightly, head whipping around, surveying the hallway slowly before he turned back to me and said, just like Mick had a night or two before when I had seen him, "Um…there's nobody here, Alice."

I walked forward away from Jerome and towards the 15-year-old, still cuter, sweeter and nicer than ever boy standing before me.

"Dylan." I whispered again, and he just smiled and stared at me. "What are you do-"

All of a sudden the look on his face turned to distress and he vanished, wisps of wind flowing down the hallway as I screamed, "NO! WAIT! DYLAN!" and chased after it.

"ALICE!" Jerome called as he followed after me, and we darted straight past a confused Alfie stepping out of the boys' bathroom and staring at us funny.

"Alice? Jero-woah!" Jerome grabbed his tie and pulled him along as I burst out of the school building, a mile or two ahead of them, following the ghostly image of my old best friend across the yard until I reached the end of it and-

"Don't move closer to me, Alice." Dylan whispered and I froze as I stared into the warm, brown eyes in front of me. "I'm not supposed to be here. I'm assigned to someone else-Alli's assigned to you."

"You-Alli-assigned for what?"

"For being your guardian angel." He uttered the words in an even softer voice, kinder than I've ever heard him talk before as he finally reached forward and stroked a hand down the side of my face.

I closed my eyes and sank into the familiar touch of soothing and then opened them again, staring back at him in growing confusion.

"But aren't you supposed to have wings?"

He laughed at my abrupt question. "We angels have many forms, Alice."

"Well-" I cut myself short, pointing to a confused Lewis & Clarke behind me who were looking at me as if I was crazy. "how come they can't see you?"

He turned towards them before simply replying, "Because it's not time."

"W-what? What time is the…the time, then, Dylan?"

"Well, three times-The Chosen Hour, The Chosen Wish, and tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Tonight. 11:11 P.M. Your birth. My death."

And with that said, he was gone, and I reached out towards the mist hanging in the air with a half-hearted 'DYLAN!' before he was gone.

I brought the hand up slowly to my face, not able to control the sudden sob that over-took as the other one came up as well to grab onto the first's elbow, and then a third to-

Wait. Three hands? I don't have-WHAT THE HELL!

But I soon realized I was turned and pulled into somebody's arms, an all too familiar cologne filling my nostrils and then-

Jerome.

I threw my arms around him, one hand grabbing the back of his sweater and the other on his gorgeous hair as I sobbed endlessly into his shoulder and he kept his arms tight around me, a hand gently stroking my hair once again as he muttered random words of comforting nonsense into my ear.

"Alfie, go get Trudy." He spoke suddenly to the partially shocked boy behind him.

"But, Jerome-"

"Go get Trudy!" Jerome cut Alfie off harshly, voice rising slightly and the other, shorter, darker-skinned boy turned and scurried off into the distance towards Anubis house.

"I-I saw him, Jerome…" I tried to find the words, choked by my tears as we were left alone outside in the cold.

"Sh, shh…" He murmured soothingly as he gently pressed his lips to my ear. "I know…I know…"

"B-bu-but…" I trailed off again, hiccupping slightly as he cut me off again,

"It's okay, Alice, you can tell me later, just try to relax right now."

I nodded into his tear-soaked shoulder and cried a little bit longer until the sound of three different pairs of footsteps rushed up, and then multiple from another direction.

"Aw, my dear, Alice, are you alright, sweetie?" The familiar sound of kind Trudy's voice appeared as she placed a hand on my back, but I didn't want it there. I only wanted either Jerome or Dylan right now.

Jerome or Dylan.

Oh sheesh, this was messed up.

"I-I'm fine." I said, sinking back out of Jerome's grip slightly, voice cracking on the word 'fine'.

"Oh, no you're not," Trudy started, voice not-well-concealing her worry as I partially opened up my puffy, dry, red eyes to only see my vision all blurry, Jerome's eyes concerned, warm blue orbs dancing in front of mine as his hands lightly clutched my arms again and Trudy's just as worried as well.

"Come on, dearie, let's get you back to the house-oh, and Jerome, you can come as well."

"What about me?" Alfie perked up, and Trudy gave him a look.

"I'm sorry, Alfs, but you gotta head back off to school." Trudy replied, giving him a slightly sad look.

"But-"

"Now, boy." Victor barked, cutting off Alfie's coming-on pathetic excuse and Alfie jumped and looked up at the tall, scary man, slightly freaked out before rushing back inside the school building-straight past Sibuna and a couple of other worried kids, along with teachers.

"Is that Alice?" I heard Nina's voice ask as she and the others strained to see.

"Everything is fine as it should be, now back to your classes." Victor said as he took a stance before a retreating Jerome, Trudy and me, both pairs of arms wrapped protectively around me as everybody started to protest 'but' although he cut them off with a harsh, "I said back to your classes immediately!"

They all turned and quickly walked inside without a second glance (well, no, maybe actually a few) as I headed back inside the house and up into my new room with Patricia and Mara at the girls' dorm where a little bed was made out on the window seat.

I didn't have time for my eyes to adjust and take in my real surroundings as Jerome gently laid me down underneath the blankets from carrying me up the stairs and Trudy mused about 'making hot soup, getting more blankets and calling some people' before she rushed out and the door closed, and the last thing I saw was Jerome's beautiful, warm blue eyes dancing in front of mine before I fell asleep.

***Hehe page break***

I slowly opened my eyes and glanced around a dark room, besides a lamp in the corner of it and dull sunshine streaming in from a window covered by curtains on my right. My vision blurred quickly and I tiredly rubbed at them as I slowly sat up.

"Oh, you're awake." I jumped and quickly pulled the curtains back from the window, letting the light stream in on my intruder's face.

Jerome.

I sighed with relief. "Oh. It's you."

He blinked and pulled back from the brightness of the outdoors. "Well you sound rather happy to see a guy who literally carried you bridal-style all the way up the staircase-you owe me."

I glanced down at my twisted hands wrapped around my knees as I brought them up to my chest, not sure what to say.

'Perfect' by 'Hedley' rang out in the room and my eyes slowly gazed over to see him looking at a new text on his silver, square cell phone.

"Thought you didn't like that song." He gave me a look before turning back to his phone's screen again, reading over a text and sighing as he threw it aside. "Who's it from?"

"Mara."

I rose one of my eyebrows. "Well if that isn't a coincidence."

He gave me another look before nudging my knees slightly, making me smile a little sadly before he leaned forward, gaze and voice turning soft as he asked, "You really did see him, didn't you, Alice?"

The earlier events of the day washed over me as I blinked once, slowly, and then over to those blue eyes.

"Yeah. I did." I whispered as my gaze flickered to his lips and then the ground again, trying to hold back more tears.

"What'd he say?"

I took a deep breath. "To meet him. Tonight. 11:11 P.M."

A pause. "Where?"

I stopped as I searched for the answer through my head, but not finding any, I replied in a stutter, "I-I don't know."

I sniffed and brought a hand up to brush back coming-on tears but he beat me to it, placing his hand over mine as he wiped a tear away with his thumb.

We stayed like that for a second, melting in each other's gazes before I pulled away abruptly, and he followed, pulling back and glancing off into the distance with his classic frustrated Jerome look.

He sighed, causing me to look back over at him again as he rubbed one of his hands over his face. "I'm going with you."

I opened my mouth to object but he cut me off again, "You're not going alone. How do you know if this was even the good guy?" I stared at him, shocked.

"I've known Dylan for years, Jerome, I think I could tell if-"

"Yeah but you mentioned something about the 'Darkness' or something-and what if they're trying to trick you?"

I glanced away, not able to stand the intent look set in his eyes as I considered this, no matter how much I didn't. "I-I don't know…they did try do to that earlier with…" I took a deep breath after he repeated 'with what?' and I replied, "with you."

I glanced over to see a confused and partially Jerome thinking this over, in the same position as before when I started to add, "I-I don't know why, it was really weird, when I was back in my old room as I confronted Mick about staying there and then it was like this weird black-aura version of you was being all mean and evil in the doorway and-"

I cut off, taking a deep, shaky breath before muttering, "Sheesh I really need to stop blabbering."

He laughed abruptly, smiling at me. "Um, yeah, you sorta do."

I gave him a look, pushing him in the shoulder slightly, causing him to laugh more as I smiled again and muttered, "My new room…" as I took a glance around.

Well, it was obvious which side was Mara's and which was Patricia's (besides the fact that Mara's side said 'MARA' in big, huge, gold letters over her headboard).

So anyway, Mara's side was all tidy and what I supposed a preppy geeks would look like, along with perfectly arranged wardrobe, books balanced neatly on a desk along with a laptop, reminding me much of the one in Jerome and Alfie's room.

Patricia's side was much more what I would design mine like-red, black and purple sheets and pillows, and posters taped all over the walls, along with dresser that had clothes messily shoved into random drawers, dark makeup, magazines and books scattered across the top, along with accessories too.

A few more pass-time books (like 'Vampire Kisses' and 'Emily the Strange' which had a poster along with it, too, which made me ecstatic because I loved both those series…s BUT ANYWAY) sat on a bedside table with a black lamp and fancy, dark purple shade with purple diamond-shaped-things dangling down from it.

Many pictures of family and friends were stapled all across the room's white and yellow ugly flower wallpapered walls for both of them, and I turned back to my little, empty window-space area and frowned.

"Well, to start off, I'm gonna like the other side more." I said aloud in my normal attitude voice as I picked up my pillow and tossed it to the space across from me, switching positions. I observed my possible escape exits again-latched window, and two doors. Not bad.

"All your stuff is still downstairs-Trudy said we could get it later."

I nodded when Jerome said this, muttering an 'okay' into the silence before he abruptly grabbed my hand, causing me to look over at him.

"What happened to Dylan, Alice?" He asked me in such a soft, concerned voice that I almost fell for his act.

Almost.

And sheesh I do point out the obvious a lot, don't I?

"I thought I already told you: he died, end of story."

I tried to force myself to face the truth, to stop taking the easy, forgetful way out through my neutral expression. He still tried to grab my gazing attention with a slightly hesitant, "Yes, but…but how?"

I glanced up into his gorgeous, warm, deep sea blue eyes, and I just wanted to give in and swim in them, to tell him everything, to have him take me in a caring embrace and just kiss me softly senseless.

I snapped away from his gaze instantly, squeezing my eyes shut before silently cussing myself out and continuing, "I don't know."

He sighed as he leaned back in his chair, releasing me as he muttered, "Of course."

I opened my eyes as they flashed over to him, sorrow, pain and tears flooding into them once again and he froze, mere shock spread over his face while he saw the unexpected reaction on mine, lips slightly parted in a gasp as he stuttered, "I-I didn't mean-"

"No, no-you're right." I took a deep breath. "I….I should try to remember more. I can't much about anything. Except…for a few things."

He was silent as I refused to look at him and instead launched into my partial-life story. "I remember blurry images of my first memories: a rainy night…hurried footsteps…faded voices…"

I took a deep breath as I tried to piece it all together, but instead pushed it aside and continued, "The first solid one was of my first foster home. I got really close to them, lived there for a while with two parents and an older brother before the place was burnt to the ground."

I shook my head at the memory. "It's a shame, really. I wanted to stay behind, make sure everything was okay, but in the ashes, I saw a man.

"He was…well, there were no words to describe him-except for evil. He was decked in all black, including the signature leather jacket, with blonde hair and creepy, piercing blue-green-gray eyes.

"And he was just in the middle of the mess with a matchbook pinched in-between his fingers."

I breathed in a gulp of air. "I don't know what happened to that family. All I know is that I had my backpack of readied stuff with me and was running to the local bus stop, heading to the nearest-but still pretty far away-town, making up some sob story at a new orphanage about how my abusive parents had given me up on the street."

He flinched at those words, as if pained by a memory, and I was about to say something before our agreement to never near the conversation again-but we already were now, weren't we? And we also talked about it the other night in the rain, didn't we?

Ahh well.

"It stayed like that for a while-orphanage to orphanage, foster home to foster home, foster home to orphanage, orphanage to foster home…" I sighed. "Until I decided to really run away."

I glanced out at the gray clouds covering the sky, turning it all to a dark white color. "I was out alone, on the streets, when I stumbled upon my first dance off."

I smiled at one of the only pleasing memories I held, now realizing that Jerome had taken a spot across from me on the window sill. "Before I knew, I was in the middle of the circle, freestyling for my first time ever and…I just felt like I belonged.

"The crowd was going wild. It was really talented for an untrained dancer, but then again, being a freestyler, it's just sorta like you were born from it." I paused, and then laughed abruptly. "BFAB."

He gave me a confusing look. "Born From A Boombox-it's a Step Up 3D thing."

His lips slightly tilted up in a smile as he glanced out the window as well, pondering this slightly as I was memorized by the delicate, pink carvings of them, so perfect and small but could make you feel so full when pressed against yours and-

I took in a sharp breath as I whipped my head back around to observe the surroundings outside as well-a beautiful bird's eye view of the grounds and campus, if I may say so myself.

"But that's nothing special, really. Considering it's the streets, pretty much everybody there is self-trained-and some of the most insanely talented breakers ever originate from there."

"So when did you learn breaking?"

I was taken aback. "How did you know I could break?"

He shrugged as he looked away again, then back and shooting me a little, killer half-smile, "Fortuitous."

I laughed breathlessly as I glanced back down at my nervously clutched, shaking hands, taking a big silent breath to steady myself, clearing my light headedness before going on, "Anyway, these dancers saw my potential and took me in their home.

"I'll never forget them. The 6 of them-half guys, half girls-they were real family, raising themselves, no parents around, and completely self-taught. And they taught me how to break."

I sighed as I leaned back against the wall, letting my memories flood back to me. "So then instead of orphanages and foster homes, I went from dance crew to dance crew, neighborhood to city to town, home to club to bar and back again."

I looked over at him. "Did you get any of that?"

"No." He shook his head and I smiled and laughed along with him.

"Neither did I, really-spur of the moment, I suppose. It'd probably look cool down on paper though-but anyway," He chuckled at my randomness before I settled on one of my most painful memories yet, "and then I finally landed W.A.N.C."

"W.A.N.C.?" He asked for a second, and I glanced up at him from my little settled, composed flashback mode before smiling a little as I explained,

"We Are Not Canadians." He stared at me for a second before bursting out laughing, and me along with him.

"Well, no duh, we're in Britain."

"Hey, anything's possible these days-I mean, go ahead and look at Nina; she's American and she practically runs this place."

Our laughter slowly died out after a minute before I continued, "But anyway…" Sheesh I say that too much. "it was the most random group of friends, but we all got along perfectly-like family."

I paused, thinking this over. "Well, by the looks of families on TV shows an all, they most certainly do not get along perfectly-but close enough, for them, y'know?"

I sighed and continued, without waiting for a response, "So there were all the classic people: the leader, the funny one, the prep, the goody-two-shoes, the sorta-mean-slutty chicks, the nice 'n' smart one, the silent and outcast loner, the best friends, and then the player-"

My breath caught at 'player'. Jake. How was I going to describe the person I hated most in the whole entire world?

"You forgot jock and goth." Jerome drew me back to his attention, and I couldn't help but muster up a tiny laugh as I saw him with his two fingers held up in the air, as if he was counting off the stereotypes as I named them.

Which he probably was doing.

"No, no, there was no jock-well, except for Fred, I guess…" I sighed at the sudden reminder of the supporting-minor-character award worthy, cliché, football obsessed jock, almost as brainless as Mick. "and I, well, I was obviously the goth, but also sorta the leader, even though I was their latest member…but…"

I paused, only continuing when Jerome prompted 'but?' launching into a long, finishing off explanation, "But that 'player'…well, his name was Jake, and-"

"Don't tell me you were in love with him too."

"Nooo," I cringed at the thought. "No way. No, instead, he…he's the one who gave me away."

It was silent for a moment as I stared down at my hands, cleared my throat and then elaborated, "He had a trouble with betting and gambling…but he won every bet. I dunno what happened-of course-but apparently the story is that some guy came along and threatened him into a new bet; a bet on me."

I felt tears start to warm my eyes again, threatening to fall as I continued, "And the other crew won. The one the other man bet for. So that crew got me. And…and this one guy, he took me away from my friends-they were screaming, trying to get to me as Jake just stood there, shocked and horrified, and that was the last time I saw them."

I sniffed, rubbing at my eyes to get the tears to go away as he placed a hand on my arm for support, and I glanced up into his concerned, deep blue eyes that just spelt out 'I'm right here for you', causing me to smile before heading onto the next part of my story, "Anywho, the guy who took me, he was only a few years older than me, but pretty aggressive and manipulative and…" I gulped, not wanting to relive the past. "…he did stuff to me."

Jerome's eyes widened in horror. "No, he didn't-"

"No. He didn't." I shook my head, refusing to look at his face. "He almost did, though-but then the classic superhero showed up."

A smile slowly lit my face. "Dylan. He came in and saved the day, taking me with him and his crew. And, no matter what, when everything was down and wrong…he was always there for me…"

I took a very deep breath, echoing through the silence before hurrying through my rushed words and sentences, "He loved Lydia, our other best friend, and they dated until the dreadful day came of his stupid death and I can't remember how it happened but I do know I never really got to say a proper goodbye I'm pretty sure he just told me to run but I never got to tell him my freakin' anything that I still held inside and that was all exactly one year from this very day!"

I dropped my head in my hands, gasping in air for oxygen in my lungs and breath, overtaken by sudden, silent sobs before I felt two hands placed on the side of my face.

I slowly lifted my head up to see Jerome not far away, deep, blue orbs concerned and sorrowful, and then suddenly darkened as he leaned forward and his lips once again crashed into mine.

His eyes were closed but mine were still open, staring out into shock until it finally sunk in that this was happening, _Jerome was kissing me_, making my eyes flutter close and fall into it as I wrapped my arms around his neck and his around my waist.

His soft, warm lips fell gentle across mine again, brushing over them as light as a feather but with electricity of a thousand light bulbs, the light exploding in my heart as the wings of the bird flew around in my stomach.

I was falling apart, falling for him, all pieces being built back up right around him, but I wasn't complaining.

He pulled away for a moment, looking into my eyes as he started to say, "Alice, I-"

"Heeey! Trudy told us you were in here and-woah." Patricia's voice waded in from the doorway as it opened up, light flooding in from the hallway as the faces of Sibuna danced there, frozen with shock at the scene playing before them.

Jerome jerked back abruptly, causing me to fall forward with an 'AHH-oof' onto the ground, taking a long time to get back up, letting my black hair fall in front of my tomato red face as I thought,

Right when I thought that it was perfect and NOT going to end up like the movies where the stupid friends walk in.

_Well, at least they didn't barge in when he was about to kiss you in the first place._

_True, true._

Wow, holy crap, my italicized and underlined thoughts were agreeing with each other!

This boy was magic.

**Once again, R&R because I would LOVE to hear your opinion and feedback on the story and classic looong chapter, no matter what, constructive criticism is really accepted and appreciated anddd yeah that's about it. BTW, ik, the dance part sounds cheesy. But it's so true. And I am a real dancer. Although I can't break yet but I wish I can. And I did not mean to offend Canadians or Canada either. They freakin' rock. I just couldn't think of a name for the crew. So 'kay Ima go eat pie now so byeee!**


	16. Chapter 16: Everything

**OMG! HI! HARRY POTTER-TOM FELTON-HI!**

**Okay omigosh dude (dudette? O_o) i am SOOO sorry i havent updated. I feel like SUCH a jerk when you guys keep commenting and reviewing and i dont do anything *sniffle*s but is this enough for now? haha XXXDDDD**

**But seriously I know it sounds sooo tried and useless and hackneyed from me and others all the way across the world and in Candy Mountain but I REALLY HAVE been sick lately and busy with school and UGH I'll just let myself FLUNK. -_-**

**But for right now, here is the next chapter where I don't anything in except for my own OC(s) ANNND some eyeliner that I always use to draw a lightning bolt scar on my forehead and run around my house in my dad's bathrobe, my Gryffindor shirt and harry potter wand-pen without the pen part, paramore red&gold gloves, bro's gryffindor scarf (ect., ect.) screaming 'IMA HARRIET POTTER!'**

**So yeah...ENJOY REVIEW CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND YEAAAH!  
**

Chapter Sixteen

"Everything"

"What…was _that_!" Patricia asked, shocked as she and the rest of the girls stepped forward, Alfie and Fabian just staring after Jerome in a confused manner.

"N-nothing…well…depends on what you saw." I stuttered in response, trying to regain my 'cool' composure as I crossed my arms.

"You two snogging!" Amber grinned, and Patricia elbowed her with a hissed 'Amber!' as Nina repeated 'snogging'?

"It means making out, basically, which is _not _what Jerome and I were doing."

Amber rolled her eyes. "Excuses, excuses." She grabbed my arm and tugged me over to sit across from her on the window seat. "So. Tell me _alll _about it."

"Um…well…" I glanced over nervously at Alfie and Fabian trying not to laugh, and Amber turned her death glare on them as she stood up to push them out.

"Out, out, out, out, _ooouuuttt_!" She cried as she shoved them away, and Mara showed up, confused.

"What's going on?"

"You leave too I hate you!"

Patricia, Nina and I glanced at each other, shocked into laughter at Amber's reply to Mara as the puzzled and accused nerd continued, "But it's my room-"

"TOO BAD IT'S ALICE'S ROOM AND JEROME KISSED HER IN IT!"

"ALICE AND JEROME KISSED!" Mara cried with Mick who appeared in front of the doorway, and then she added, "AGAIN!"

But Amber had already shut the door and locked it, looking smug and proud at her so-called 'accomplishment' as Mick, Fabian and Alfie repeated 'wait _again_!'.

Hm. So Mick _didn't _see Jerome and me kiss in the attic?

Thank God Mara's overly-large-George-Lopez head must've gotten in the way.

But she saw Jerome and me kiss, right?

Jerome and me…kiss…twice…

Dammit.

What is it _with _that dude and being…_him_!

"Sooo teeelll mmmeee!" Amber squealed again as she sat back down, and I winced and cowardly flinched back against the wall at her preppy voice and attitude as Patricia and Nina took seats on the floor as well in front of us.

"Tell you what?"

She gave me a look as she crossed her arms and I sighed as I continued, "Honestly, Amber, there's nothing to tell you about." I paused, thinking the words over again in my head and mouthing them to see if they made sense.

"What do you mean! You were _snogging!_" Amber cried as she stood up along with Patricia who yelled out a 'yeah!' in agreement with the blonde for the first time as I kept sounding out my sentence in front of the closet.

"Guys, honestly, he's, just-" I hesitated. "He's complicated. He's Jerome, and he's complicated, _because _he's Jerome."

It was all silent for a moment as I stared at them, waiting for reactions to appear on their impassive, thoughtful faces. "That actually makes sense." Nina finally spoke up, and I grinned as I headed over to my backpack and started taking out my math homework.

"But complicated Jerome or not he's still Jerome and you _snogged _him because of it!" Patricia threw in her own unique logic and I groaned as I threw my hand sup in the air and turned back around.

"I did not _snog _him…" I trailed off as they all rolled their eyes, groaned and threw their hands up in the air themselves and before I added, tentatively while staring at the ground, "…I just kissed him."

They all slowly looked up at me and started grinning and squealing (well, Nina and Amber, at least. Patricia was ecstatic but _not _a prep. OBVIOUSLY).

"Tell me _all _the deets!" Amber insisted as she pulled me back down onto the windowsill and everyone took seats around us.

"But-"

"Now!"

"But I only-"

"SPILL, GIRL!" Patricia chimed in with both her and Amber and I rolled my eyes but couldn't help grinning as well as I launched totally into my story about him.

"Well he is absolutely, positively _gorgeous_, you gotta admit that-I mean, his _eyes_, they just drive me freakin' _**INSANE**_!" I trailed off yet again as his gorgeous, deep blue, sparkling eyes appeared in my mind, and I stared out into space and…

"Hey, yeah, earth to Goth girl Alice!" Patricia snapped her fingers in front of my face, and I blinked and was brought back to reality with a little dazed 'what' as they all smiled again.

"Continue with the Jerome story!"

"Okay so well actually…he kissed me in the attic."

They all started screaming, and I flung my hands over my ears, trying to block the horrible screeching noise with a fail. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! III KNEWWW ITTT!" They all danced a little in their seats and I laughed as I pulled my hands back, muttering a 'geez at least warn me the next time you're gonna start screaming bloody murder'.

"But then, of course, Victor caught us and we scurried on down. Then…" I paused as Dylan's faint, fading figure, an image of a pure angel…entered my mind but I hurriedly shook it away as I continued, regaining myself and finishing off my sentence, "then after my _second _pathetic little breakdown, he comforted me and was really sweet and carried me here and I told him my story and then he kissed me again…"

"_Awww." _They all said in chorus, and then I glared at them mockingly as I added and finished off, "And then _you _came in and ruined the whole entire freakin' thing!"

I paused as we all laughed, and before they could being with their pathetic little excuses I hurriedly added, "Oh, and he ran away."

"He didn't run away!" Amber tried to insist, but was still laughing too hard as I cried 'yes he _DID!', _but the blonde prep still continued, "He walked!"

"Oh yeah, and that's _sooo _much better." I rolled my eyes as I crossed my arms, a wide grin still plastered on my face as I continued, "He still left either way. But oh well, maybe he did, maybe he didn't, but point is, he can move faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo when he wants to."

They all doubled over laughing _even harder_-(Nina falling over the side of the sill, actually, even)-and I added, "Yeahh, 'tis right, Gred & Forge all the way!" creating the laughter's duration to be even longer.

"Although the original quote was 'maybe he is, maybe he isn't'," I shrugged as they tried to still their laughter, "still, close enough."

And we just sat there, laughing at Harry Potter quotes and Jerome running away faster than Severus Snape confronted with shampoo when really, nothing at all about life in this house with all these people was _funny._

Except for Alfie, of course.

Chapter Thirty-Four

"Everything"

Later that night, after dinner and everything I sat across the coffee table from Jerome (sat down silently, he looked up once, nodded, and we both went off on our own business like usual, although I couldn't help but keep sneaking up furtively surrepetious looks and glances, not able to steer away from his absolutely _gorgeous _blue eyes) the couch opposite as he propped his feet up on it, reading a book with eyebrows hunched together in concentration, though and interest as I skimmed through the library on my iTouch like usual before Fabina and Victor walked in at exactly the same time.

"Get your feet off the furniture, boy!" Victor snapped in a mood worse than usual, and we all glanced at him, including Jerome after he had jumped, removing his feet from the, er, _furniture _suddenly as he was pulled out of his daze, his eyes expressing his shock, fear and confusion.

"What are you three staring at?" He nodded towards Fabina and me, and we all shrank back slightly from fear as he continued, "I want you all in bed by nine 'o' clock! Or else there will be consequences."

I tried not to laugh at the way he said 'consequences', and when he caught me muffling my laughter in my sleeve and growled, "What are you laughing at, girl!" He moved forward. "And speaking of consequences, neither you or Clarke are allowed in the same room as each other except for the dining room during breakfast and dinner for the next week!"

"Week!" We both glanced at each other in shock at the same time, and then back again, trying to come up with excuses as we started to splutter, "B-but-"

"No excuses!" He practically shouted, causing us to all jump again, including Fabina in their daze after I saw Nina pick up an ugly old green shawl out of the corner of my eye, nudge Fabian and claim it to be Sara's. "That's what you pointless, hormone driven snogging teenagers get for…snogging!"

He turned on his heels to march out, but added before he left to go to his office or yell at somebody else, "And that means now! Separate!"

We both jumped up and headed in different directions, Jerome to his room and me following Fabina upstairs and into the attic after they had gestured me to follow them.

"Okay, so, what's going on that would be so important for us to-" Patricia cut off as she caught sight of me, and both Alfie and Amber sat up intently from their spots scattered across the attic. "What is _she _doing here?"

"Sheesh, no need to be so touchy, I thought goths had to back each other up here." I retorted and she gave me a look.

"Not funny, Alice. But seriously, what are you doing up here-and what do you know?"

I sighed as I took a seat on an upside-down, empty, old rubbish can. "Not much. Just what you guys were mindlessly murmuring about the other day, oh, and, uh…" I trailed off, not sure if I should tell them. "and what Jerome told me."

They all rose their eyebrows, perching forward on their seats. "And what exactly did Jerome tell you, Alice?" Nina asked slowly.

"Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot, Martin," I snapped back before continuing, "you're the American here. But anyway," I shook my head slightly, getting serious, "not much. Just a little about the play you guys put on. Mara helped with that description also."

"Mara too?" Patricia repeated.

I winced a little as I remembered last night. "Yeaaah…and then Mick showed up after we were snooping around the attic like you lot, trying to get answers and shizz."

They all groaned in unison before Alfie spoke up, "Wait, I know Jerome, and I also know that he probably wouldn't have done anything for you unless he got something in return."

Well, obviously he didn't know Jerome well enough. "Well, I did confront him first about that Cup of Ankh thing you guys were talking about the other day…"

They all groaned in sync _once again_…sheesh, did they perfectly time and rehearse these things?

"Okay, maybe we should tell her-considering she already knows too much." Patricia started to give in, much to the agreements but denials of the others.

"But she just got here-I'm not sure we can trust her!" Fabian put in, and they all semi-nodded in agreement.

"Um, hello-still here!" I pointed at myself, drawing all their attention back to me as they muttered 'oh, right, uh, sorry' and I sighed before continuing, "Anyway, I do in fact know more than you guys thought-about the Chosen One and everything."

They all sat up, suddenly interested-well, except for Amber, really, who was painting her fingernails…yeah I don't know why-it was Amber.

"What do you know about the Chosen One?" Nina asked.

"Well, I do possibly know _why _the one would be chosen." I started, and they all stared at me, confused as they hunched their eyebrows together and frowned.

"What do you mean?" Nina, once again, _of course_. Always questioning.

Eek. I was starting to sound like Victor.

But anyway, I continued to explain to them, "Apparently the Cup could possibly only be assembled by the Chosen One, because of when they were born-July 7th at 7:00 A.M." I let this bit of information sink in as I left out the part about November 11th and instead waited for a reply.

"How do you know this?" Nina asked, voice barely raising a hushed whisper.

I winced slightly at the memory, hoping I had been able to avoid this conversation-but, of course, nothing was easy in my life. "I…I saw somebody."

"Yeah, me!" A new voice spoke up, and both Nina and I jumped and glanced over to see Alli practically dancing in thin air as her feet dangled inches from the ground _once again_.

"Alli-what are you doing here?" I asked as Nina glanced back and forth wildly between us, and everybody looked on at us, confused, almost thinking that we were crazy.

But maybe we were.

I was starting to think so myself.

"Where did she come from?" Nina asked, shocked and confused.

"Where did _who _come from?" Amber asked as she sat up, confused in her Amber way.

"Aw, don't worry-you two aren't crazy! You're just the Chosen Ones."

But right after she said that, she disappeared yet again, and Nina glanced over at me, bewildered beyond imagination.

"Alice, what was-"

"That was Alli," I cut off shortly, wanting to hurry throughout the explanation. "she's, apparently, from the 'light', and trying to help and protect us-but the dark, not so much."

**SOOO! How was that for my dramatic comeback after dying-but really, I didn't fully die, I was just a horcrux...JKKK WOOOPS DH SPOILERSSS HEHE O_O**

**Go read the books first you losers.**

**JKJK (not really-JKR get it? get it?...woww im jst embarassing myself) BUT ANYWAY, (GUESS WUT THERES THIS ONE BROOM AND THE HANDLE PART IS DESTROYED ND IMA JST LIKE 'LOOK EVEN TEH BROOM HAS A LIGHTNING BOLT SCAR' CUZ IT LOOKED LIKE ONE AND YA WOW IMA FREAK SO IMA JST SHUT UPZZZ-i sounded italian-NOW) heree are some of my reviewer thanks!**

**TeamEdmundAndPeter-OMIGOSH i didnt even realize it wuz ur name i totally forgot (or did i really kno in the first place? bahaha) BUT ANYWHO im sooo sorry if u really dnt like it ill change it in fact no ill jst change it no ahahaha but THANKS FOR REVIEWING AGAIN! :D**

**angel2u-I am SOOO glad you liked that line. Haha it makes me very ecstatic when reviewers or random people just point out quotes or lines in the story. XXXDDDD**

**gUardianAngeL742-ur friend didnt kno wut fanfiction wuz! HAHA BAHAHA AHAHAHA WUT A NERDY FREAKIN JOKE-lmfaooo just kidding just TOOOTALLY kidding! actually were all probably the nerdy jokes reading it all the time with accounts nd writing it too BUT ANYWAY lmfao im soo glad u liked this chapter i really like ur story too nd where its going the last chapter with the what ifs wuz PRETTY SICK haha but anywho ikr tom felton is SOOO FREAKIN GORGEOUS! OHHH MYYY GOSHHH but no i dont just usually skim i just read the series haha (but i abandoned the 5th one when i read it for the second time, but im picking it up again for this hero essay thing for skool which im probably gonna somehow enter in this story haha XXXDDDD) but ANYWHO, thanks again! :::DDDD**

**moonbeam87-im so sorry (i wuz actually gonna apologize about this earlier but wuz too lazy to and forgot too HEHE GET IT TWO VERSION OF SAYING TO-OMIGOSH TWO-THTS SO SICK) but anywho (bahaha rhyme!)-wut wuz i talking about...? O YEA im sooo sorry theres not a lot of...err...uh...um JALICE (hehe bahaha TEEHEE) in this chapter but trust me, there is WAAAY more to come. XD thanks for reviewing also! it means a lot to me (all reviews do! :D)**

**AnubisLuverForever29-thank you sooo much im so glad you like it and i hope u still stick through it and wuts to come XD**

**2theleftx2-OMIGOSH your comments cracked me up! i wuz literally jst like grinning and laughing out loud (or LOLing bahaha...WOW i need a life) BUT ANYWHO it makes me so ecstatic how dedicated u seem to be nd u dnt have to ruin ur new favorite dress dont worry lmfao jst READ!**

**Anywho...I'ma go watch Tangled now...but just end up watching videos with Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy cuz hes jst so cute (im an original book fan too though, but still, nd dracos a tragic character ='() but anyway k BYEEE! :D  
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	17. Chapter 17: Confusion

**SO, thank you SO MUCH to all my loyal fans, I'm really worn out right now so I'll do separate reviewer thanks in another chapter I'm also picking up a Quest Crew fic I started a while ago and I might put up a poll about that to see if you guys want to read it or not sooo yeah thank you guys so much for staying put with me and enjoy this very short chapter haha!**

Chapter Seventeen

Confusion

"Here, Alice, I'll help you get your stuff and move it into our room." Patricia said as we walked down from the attic, after they had just explained their '_everything' _to me. Then she added, "But really, I need some advice on this new guy I'm crushing on-no, really, I just REALLY want to talk about him."

I laughed. "Yeah, you know I'm the person anybody can come to when talking about gorgeous, dream guys, and thanks!" I said cheerly as we turned and headed down.

"Hey, Neens, Fabian, wanna come?" Patricia called over her shoulder to Fabian and Nina when we were almost done walking throughout the hallway.

"Nahh, I think we'll pass." Nina replied for the both of them, and they glanced at each other, smiling as Patricia and I shared a look and then Amber spoke up, running to catch up with us.

"I'll help!"

We both groaned as we made it to the doorway, and then Alfie perked up and followed after us, saying, "I'll tag along too!"

We headed down the staircase and into my old room, and I started to tear some of my blankets off the bed before Amber called, picking up my still half-full duffel bag by the strap, "Oh really, Alice? You've seriously been here for about a week or _two_, and you still have barely unpacked at _all _yet."

I glanced over, shrugged a little and replied, "I haven't really gotten around to it."

They all looked at each other and shrugged before heading out, saying something about going to the bathroom and getting snacks and I was left alone in the room, droppings thing carelessly back into my bag, one by one.

Until I slowly picked up and gazed down at the picture with Dylan and me from a few years back, along with my other best friend Lydia and the rest of that crew, slowly dragging my thumb over the image of the forsaken brown-haired boy, feeling tears start in my eyes before a new voice spoke up from the hallway,

"So who's that?"

I froze, hand tensing and eyes curling shut, trying to gain control of myself before replying to someone who I knew to be Jerome right away, "Who do you think it is, smart one?"

There was the sound of a few footsteps progressing towards me, and then a quieter, softer, "That's Dylan, isn't it?"

No answer. Silence. And then, a few more footsteps.

"You loved him, didn't you, Alice?"

I froze, a sudden shock rippling up through me, a sob stifling my throat before I threw the picture to the ground, holding back a wince as the glass shattered at my feet and I responded, voice rising in anger and distress, "No, I didn't, because I, Jerome Clarke, happen to have no emotions what-so-ever!"

I moved over to my bookshelf, taking down multiple editions of my favorite books before he spoke up again, "So…you just go through life…emotionless?"

I shrugged a little, and then said quietly but still neutrally, and a partially tear choked voice, "You could say that."

I knew he froze as I mimicked him from the other night, when he went to Victor's office to tell on Mickara's candlelight dinner, and I could tell he was finding the regrets and faults in him that he had made yet again because I pointed them out before I added, "Don't know why you are any different, Clarke-because, and I quote, 'you just learn how to hide your emotions'."

I shrugged again. "So, I don't feel anything."

Suddenly he spun me around and was right in front of me, eyes angry and determined as he growled, "Look me in the eyes and tell me that again, Alice."

My mouth fell open slightly as I tried to find the words in my head, but it was all mixed up and jumbled and then silenced as I did what he instructed, looking up into those gorgeous, deep, icy blue eyes as they melted, along with the hard expression on his face while he gently dragged his thumb down the side of my face, leaving a trail of shocking, light sparks and he leaned down and…

"Hey, Alice, you finish packing-woah." Fabian's voice waded in from the doorway and Jerome and I sprang apart, me gritting me teeth and glancing down, him leaning back, eyes averted and off to the side, rubbing his hand up and down the side of his face-something I noted that he did when he was quite worried and/or frustrated.

"Um, was I interrupting something, or-"

"No." We both cut off harshly, and I glared at him as I continued through gritted teeth, "Absolutely _nothing_." then I was about to shoulder my way past him before he stooped down to the ground, picked up the shattered glass picture frame, brushing it off slightly and handing it over to me.

"11:11 P.M." He murmured, and I angrily ripped the picture of his hand before continuing past a gathered Sibuna in the doorway and up to my new room.

11:11 P.M., I knew I had to meet both him and Dylan in the attic.

I just knew it.

**SO, reeally short chapter, just throwing in the last bit that I wrote but haven't posted yet. Sorta planning to write more soon inbetween other stories, so just review, favorite and subscribe, I guess, look out for that possible upcoming poll and more stories? Haha and thank you so much again to all my reviewers and fans you guys have no idea how much it means to me and yeah just thank you and keep on reviewing haha!  
**


	18. Chapter 18: Waiting

**What up meh homies!**

**And I actually JUST realize…why do we all say we don't own anything…when it's…a fanfiction…and obvious.**

**ANYWAY lmfao I've been planning to write a new chapter but you know I got too bored and was busy…watching house of Anubis. But omigosh JARA YESSSS FREAKIN LOVE THEM even though I still can't stand Mara but actually does it sound mean when I ask if (SPOILER ALERT) I'm the only one who cheered when she got expelled…? And holy crap I KNEW that Eddie was Mr. Sweet's son! Well actually I just came up with that theory today before yesterdays ep when I watched the one before yesterday and I just realize how upset Eddie was EVERY TIME Patricia pointed out that he was buddy-buddy with Mr. Sweet. **

**ANYWAY I'm going to talk more at the end of this chapter roflol, **

**SO review thanks Jenna's-that-chick—awww thank you SO much! Lmfao and well the supernatural part isn't actually really based off a tv show or book or anything, it's just powers that they get and what-not—even though I did get some ideas from Darkest Powers, which is a book series by Kelley Armstrong. And haha thank you, I'm glad you like Jerome and Alice's relationship and story—I like it too XD haha! And THANK YOU, except uh, I'm already engaged to Darren Criss…roflol!**

I would be lying if I said I woke up by the time of 11 PM came, because I was totally sleep-deprived since my talk with Jerome.

_What if it wasn't even really Dylan? I mean, it felt so real and…right to be with him…but is that just part of the illusion? _Those horrible, doubting thoughts arrived as I slipped on my bathrobe, trying to stop me from going to where my heart desired.

And then, right on cue, the other side of my thoughts came in disagreeing. _But what about his aura? It was light, and white, and bright…and I swear I didn't mean to rhyme all of that._

I chuckled to myself and…wow…I really am going crazy…

I glanced around to make sure that Mara and Patricia were both fast asleep before I put on my slippers and rushed towards the door, and—

Ran right into a trunk.

I winced, clenched my eyes and teeth, holding my breath and waiting, as if doing all these things would help me melt into my surroundings.

I heard shifting and felt panic start to rise up inside of me, about to feign sleep-walking when I noticed nobody was coming after me.

Breathing a silent sigh of relief, I brought my foot up, ripped off the slipper and examined the stubbed, rough and pale toe, which was now forming a red blister that looked like it was ripped over the top of it.

"How's that even possible?" I growled to myself as I hopped around to see it was Mara who had shifted and her sleep, and—

What. The. Crap.

She sleeps with a framed picture of MICK on her PILLOW!

I prayed to God that she got that AFTER she started dating him.

I mean, not like I would do anything different…

But anyway,

I quickly put my slipper back on, limping over to the door when I realized I dropped my torch by that horrid, panic-causing, _stupid-blister-on-foot _making, damned trunk.

I mumbled profane language underneath my breath as I slowly dropped down onto all fours and crawled carefully over to it, seeing Patricia's name engraved on it with multiple dark, punk clothes worthy of giving Amber a nightmare spilling out of it.

While getting up and brushing dust off of my sleep pants, I pivoted to glare at Patricia, as if it would change her dreams into nightmares, making a mental note to tell her off about organization issues.

And man, HOW many paragraphs have I started with the word I?

I have to go work on that.

…and I did it again.

Anywho, I slowly crept the rest of the way to the door, dodging another suitcase and laughing at it and doing a little victory dance like the crazy person I am as if it was an animated object, and then instantly regretted it when I stepped right on my blister, stumbling out of the room into the hallway, making a bunch of clunking and slamming noises just a little _too loudly_, and heart stopping fast when I ran into a figure, thinking it was Victor—

But I realized the lean figure and smell of cologne mixed with apples too quickly to start to stutter out excuses about having to go pee.

I slowly looked up into his gorgeous eyes, wondering which of the many haunting colors he was sporting now, to realize it was his guarded one, so even as good a people-reader as I am—especially around Jerome—I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

He paused and leaned back a moment, taking in my figure before he settled on saying "I thought for a second you wouldn't come."

I laughed bitterly once, before looking up into his heart-stopping eyes and replying "And I thought you weren't supposed to put on cologne before you went to bed."

His thin, soft pink lips broke into a smile, and I found it hard to glance away for a second but then I tore my gaze up to his eyes, softening to a beautiful sky blue, and oh geez was it just me or was he leaning closer and—

"We should hurry up." I stuttered out as I turned away from him, cursing myself for the bright shade of red now flushing over my cheeks. _Why did he do this to me! I wasn't supposed to show humanity!_

_But what I want it any other way? _Ugh. Multiple thoughts—the ultimate downside of being a crazy person.

_Well…no. I…I really like him…and the way he holds his jacket up over his shoulder, that adorable laugh that rings over everyone else's, the ingenious pranks and schemes he comes up with, his care for his best friend, the way he reacts to the topic of his family, and those eyes…_

I finally snapped myself out of it, realizing that the idiot I am was running into the attic door as if it would open. I squeezed my eyes shut and cursed myself ONCE AGAIN for my stupidity as he just stood where I left him for a moment, not able to understand what had just happened before he cleared his throat and murmured a small agreement about going up to the attic, walking up behind me to where I was, his body slightly brushing the back of mine, making my heart pick up to a humming-bird's wing speed.

"Are you sure he wants to meet us up here?" Oh God, his voice was right next to my ear and he was so close, I could feel his warm breath falling against my face, and it took every bit of strength not to turn around and just kiss him right then and there.

But I used all the strength to nod a little bit, biting my lip as I got down on my knees to pick the lock with my hairpin I always kept behind my ear.

It was a little more difficult than last time—which had absolutely _nothing _to do with the fact that the boy I was pretty much falling in love with was practically breathing down my neck as I did this, of course—but then I heard the soft click, and muttered an almost silent 'we're in' before I quietly opened the door, praying it wouldn't squeak—

And then it did. Of course. I jinxed it.

Like I always did.

We both froze, waiting for Victor to apparate into the room and scream at us through that Brit-i-fied Hitler mustache, but when the house remained totally silent (I was _seriously _getting suspicious about this fact), we could finally breathe again as we continued dared slowly began to creep up the stairs, and then Jerome slowly closed the door behind us, and looked back up at me.

Our eyes caught for a second, and something passed between us—a memory, of that one glorious moment of when our lives changed forever (for better or for worse, sometimes I couldn't tell), when his lips pressed to mine, and all we could do was hold our breath and the gaze as feelings we both wished the other had flowed through us, until I finally broke the silence and said "How come it didn't make a _sound _for you?"

He looked taken aback, but then realized I was talking about the door after a moment, and a grin slowly played over his heavenly features and I could barely return it as my heart stuttered and I quickly turned from him and walked up the stairs into the attic, not able to help the smile and little giddy-ness that came over me at the thought of him.

After that, I glanced around for a clock, but when finding none, I looked back over to Jerome who, seemingly reading my mind—and how on earth did he _always _do that?—,was already glancing down at his watch.

"Two more minutes."

I sighed, feeling more and more anxious by the minute as I sat down on what looked like a box under a ghostly sheet, but cried out an 'OW' when something jabbed my leg.

Jerome was over in an instant, grabbing me and asking 'what? What is it?' I froze, almost forgetting about the pain in my leg where something jabbed me when I saw the completely un-guarded and deep ocean blue worry in his eyes, and I felt my heart melt as his breath caught in his chest, and we both remembered how it truly felt to be this close to each other. We were both tired of the times when we both _felt _something but didn't do anything—

But this would make up for it.

His gaze slowly dropped down to my lips and his pink tongue flashed out to slowly moisturize his as he stared down longingly, before moving a little closer, and my eyelids slowly fluttered shut, waiting for the sparks as his lips connected with mine, and then I'd officially be lost in him forever.

Then there was his breath, his lips grazing over mine as my heart stopped and blended with his as I placed my hands on his chest, feeling his racing as—

"Sorry if I'm interrupting." My eyes flashed open as did Jerome's, and my heart literally stopped beating as I faced them for a second, before forcing myself to think of the voice as I stepped out around him as he rubbed his face angrily to look at the faint glow of light in the middle of the attic.

"Dylan…?" I whispered, hoping beyond hope that it was him as the figure inside of the aura became clearer, and then began to shine so bright I had to shield my eyes from it, like the sun on an extremely hot summer's day.

And when I looked back, there he was—Dylan.

In human form.

**HAHA CLIFFHANGER XD its not like its anything different then the show, right? Haha XD SO DID YOU LIKE IT! Please just comment and TELL ME! XD**

**BUT OKAY HOA OBSESSION TIME did anybody else suspect that the Slytherin-lookin' ping-pong team cheated RIGHT the minute they saw them! …cause if you did you're smart, because it took me until I saw them in the day before yesterday's episode to come up with that theory. AND did anybody think that guy who works at Blake Manor was suspicious! ANDDDDDDDDDDD did anybody burst out laughing everytime that Senkhara "punished" somebody, I had to watch the Alfie one a MILLION times, and I love Peddien (OMIGOD THEY KISSED XD), Amfie (OMMIGOSH THEY HUGGED XD) and Jara (OMG THEY HUG TOO! that was soo unexpected!*insert eye-roll at myself* lmfao XD) ! Oh and Fabina, I guess haha. But actually I sorta prefer Pason over Peddie, and then we culd just make Pason and set Eddie up with Joy…lmfao XD**

**ANYWAY, PLEEEEEASE review, I'M BEGGING YOU, because I got SO many alerts and favorites but what I would really like is reviews, are else I won't feel like I want to continue. Even if it's a quick 'awesome' or a really mean comment, who cares! Haha XD I love constructive criticism, and do you think Alice is still in character as she was in the beginning? And btw, I believe I am allowed to call Alice crazy and even though I HATE jokes about voices I just thought that her getting fed up with her two little good and bad sides fit and plus I have OCD but I'm getting over it but I'M ALLOWED TO MAKE OCD JOKES XD lmfao oh AND do you think I should continue into season 2? Because I'm thinking I will, because I like Eddie…because he's cute…**

**ANYWAY, peace out homie dogssss, and REVIEW! please? :D maybe ill feature you in the story...or not. HAHA LOSER just kidding...TEEHEE XD  
**


	19. Chapter 19: Human

**HELLOOO MY HOUSE OF ANUBIS FRIENDZZZ!**

**I am currently in a crippling depression because the guy I fell in love with has moved out of the country…BUT BESIDES THAT, the one thing that brings me up, is HoA itself XD oh, and youth group.**

**But this chapter sort of explains of what's about to go down in the House, and what will be happening to the gang. Even though it's not super clear, because I didn't want to give it all away. I still don't know if Alice is totally in character...feedback please? Haha XD  
**

**Anyway,**

**THANKS TO:**

**Ravenstrawberry—aw, I'm so happy that you loved it! And took your time to review, haha. And yes, I definitely will keep writing, even though you spelled it wrong XD (no meanness intended)  
TeamEdmundAndPeter—HEEEY, long time no review! Lmfao XD I hope that this chapter satisfies you're need for more! XD**

**Also thanks to everybody that favorited and alerted, but I hope I'm not asking to much when I PLEAD you to leave a review? Reviews are what keep us writers wanting to keep publishing more chapters, and if we get only a couple, we don't feel the need to continue. Tell me what you like, and don't like. If you love it, or hate it. Constructive criticism is LOVED! Even if it's a tiny 'write more' i will be ecstatic. XD but seriously please do review.**

Chapter 20

Human

My world stopped.

Dylan. Dylan. Dylan.

Here.

In front of me.

He's here.

Dylan.

Dylan.

Dylan.

DYLAN!

Somehow I got my body to snap out of its numb phase and it seemed like my body was springing itself forward, only for my legs to give out as I fell like a limp rag-doll into his arms.

Dylan's arms.

I felt those strong arms slowly wrap around me as found myself sub-consciously I nuzzled my head into his muscular, tan chest. I let myself sink into the familiar touch, the smell of timber wood and cigarettes, the smell I hated but somehow loved on him, always loved, was intoxicated by, and the way he strokes my hair half-way and then curls a lock around his finger.

I wasn't aware of the saltwater droplets falling down my contorted face until he stopped it by wiping it away with his thumb. And those eyes, those deep, brown, chocolate eyes were staring back at me. The eyes I thought I'd never see again. Still shining, still smiling.

Somehow I finally found my voice in the deep, never-ending well of emotions and tear waterfalls my body system had become. "But…but how?" I croaked, the broken, desperate sound being unfamiliar to my own ears. "You're…you're—"

"Dead." His voice came rock solid, and it wasn't a question. It was a simple response. He was…

De—

I couldn't wrap my head around it.

How could that be?

He was here, in front of me.

Holding me in those same arms.

Staring into my soul with those stunning eyes.

Leaning into me with that beating, living heart—

I froze, feeling myself lean ever-so-slightly closer to his wrist set on my shoulder, even though every cell of my brain and nerve in my body screamed at me to lean away, to not accept, to just live, live with the idea that he was—

"You don't have a pulse." I mumbled, still trying to figure out what that means. It slowly came to me, eager to show itself for what it was but trying to conceal at the same time. "You're…you're dead." I stated, sounding utterly stupid as I realized I simply repeated him. I slowly staggered out of his grasp, unable to sink into that touch any longer. Not when it wasn't real. When it wasn't there.

When it never could be again.

When it was a lie.

"Ali—"

"How?" I asked as I stepped away from his radiating form, out of the silvery-white glow of his aura, back into my familiar surroundings. A creepy, abandoned attic, full of antiques and cobwebs. I was in the House of Anubis. Yeah, yeah! I came here about a month ago!

Right?

What else had happened?

I tried my best to remember, to not to look at Dylan, but he was all my eyes could focus on.

So I tried to look past him.

Focus on anything but him as my eyes strained on that heavenly (literally) form.

I was at Anubis house, Anubis house…

At Anubis house…

I squeezed my eyes shut and concentrated, and it slowly came back to me.

Victor was horrible. He is a tiny bit scary, even though I try not to show those times when he is.

Trudy was like a mother. One I've never had.

_Okay, what else…_

Umm…Fabian! Fabian was chic-geek, a smart guy who could play the guitar. He was alright, I liked how he cares for people and always knows what to say.

Nina was the American, the Mary-Sue. She was a good friend, but I didn't like how she was too "perfect".

Mick was the brainless jock. I didn't like him that much, because he was so clueless.

Mara was the over-emotional nerd. I can't stand her, she's so oblivious.

Mr. Winkler was the super chill teacher. I thought he was cute, and really want to trust him.

Amber was the preppy blonde. I shouldn't stand her, and I couldn't, but we're both boy-crazy.

_And then there was…_

_Come on, think._

_I'm trying!_

_Cling on to the facts, cling to them…_

Dylan…

_**NO! NOT DYLAN!**_

The _House of Anubis…_

I saw creepy attics, smiles and laughter, stuffed animals, drama, books, pranks, music, colors—

Streaks—no, extensions!

Patricia! She was like my sister, or more like a clone of myself. We both stood up for ourselves, but she could be _waaay _too mean sometimes.

Who else…

What was that one part?

Pranks…

Aliens...?

_Alfie! _I loved him, for sure. He was like a little brother, always there to make me smile and knowing what to say, even in my very worst moods. I know I can always count on him, and I hope to always be there for him too, no matter what.

_No, wait, there's somebody I'm forgetting…_

_Somebody…_

_**Remember….remember….damn it just remember—**_

I collided into a body, not even realizing I was inching backwards the whole time.

A tough body—muscular, yet tall and lean.

And that cologne…the smell of apples, hair gel and—

Jerome.

I would trust him, no matter what. I would see past the exterior, to the man underneath. Underneath all the bitterness, protection, steeliness, selfishness, and every other fault. There's a heart and soul underneath, that love and care. And I would like him for every single trait he has, and prove to everybody they were wrong about him.

I lo—

My brain awakened from a long sleep and I kicked into over-drive, letting myself fall back into my normal pattern.

I'm Alice.

I'm tough, I'm strong, and I stand up for what I believe in. I'll do anything for the ones I care about, and do whatever it takes to bring down evil. I'm over-guarded and bitter, or un-empathetic or insensitive, sometimes too aggressive, looking too much into things, too much of a dare-devil, with a wicked sense of humor, sarcastic and witty, and sometimes I fall for boys _wayyyy _too quickly and hard—

But hey, I'm Alice.

And that's all I'm ever going to be.

I stepped forward and fixed my gaze on Dylan, trying to and partially failing to block all emotions for him flooding back into me.

"How are you here? How are you doing this?" I meant to ask harshly, but the built-up emotions overflowing my system made it crack and waver, and I cleared my throat and regained my position.

"Look, I don't have a lot of time—"

I laughed bitterly. "Oh I'm sorry, what's going to happen if we run out of time? Will I never see you again? Get however many points I bet on deducted from my score? Forfeit my life?" I rolled my eyes. "Lemme just tell you, if it's the first choice, how much time do we have left? Because I would _love _to waste it all." I drew out the O in 'love', making the boy in front of me flinch, and seeing that reaction hit a soft spot in my heart, making me waver and remember when—

"You're a jerk." I spat, and he looked taken aback. "A horrible human being-if that's even what you _are._ You _left _me. With nothing. No explanation, no final words, no _memories_, nothing! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO I AM!" I found myself screaming, and Jerome suddenly jerked forward to grab my arm, sending a shock through my body as I forced myself to ignore it and pull it away, ignoring his desperate shushing of me. "And do you think that now, that you're back, after all that time, everything's going to be okay?

"No. You're wrong. I'm not the same girl you knew, Dylan. I don't smile. I'm bitter, I'm sarcastic, and I'm not going to change for you-not again. It would just be a mistake, because we both know you're going to leave again. I won't fall for you again. I won't ruin my life, just like you did."

He was silent, a look of shock and something else I couldn't understand in his eyes as he lightly whispered, "...fall?"

I wavered, but then caught myself, laughing bitterly, shaking my head, not believing what I was witnessing as I remarked, "Wow, Dylan. Just wow. I mean, isn't-_wasn't _it obvious." I shook my head, putting all the anger forward in my eyes for him to read.

He did.

"You should've known. You _did_ know, I know you did. And look what you did. Oh, no wait, there's nothing to look at, because you did _nothing_.

"So now I'll return the favor." I completed as I turned to stomp away, slowly feeling the regretting feelings take over me as I blinked my eyes a few times, not believing what I had just said, but no I couldn't turn around. I couldn't take it back. I'm better to fall to that level again.

But then I noticed I had stopped moving.

"Alice." That deep, curling British accent cut through my conflicted mind as I slowly looked up into that ocean of emotions I so very often found myself transfixed in.

Jerome's eyes flickered back and forth, as if searching for something in my face-for what, I'm not sure. But obviously he found it, because he closed his eyes, slowly exhaled heavily through his nose as he rubbed a hand over his face, and lightly nudged me with the other one. "Go. Listen to what he has to say."

I was shocked. "B-but what-"

"This isn't a matter of the past, or emotions, or anything, Alice." He said sharply, giving me that hard, forceful look in his guarded eyes as he continued, "This is a matter of huge importance. Of the future-and not just ours."

I stood there, looking up into those gorgeous eyes, waiting for an emotion to leak through the walls that he had so carefully built up and that I was working on breaking down, but he refused to give me the satisfaction of finding anything in there, proving his point to get _to _the point.

I slowly started to turn around, and I guess that was when Dylan took his cue to continue.

"Look, Alice, enough with this bitterness. This _is _important, and if we waste this time, you definitely _will _lose your life." The cold steeliness in his eyes cut me short, and I stood still, holding that gaze, before settling on,

"That time is all you get."

He breathed out a tiny sigh of relief before stepping forward, and by the look I guessed that Jerome gave him, he hesitated and stepped back again, dropping his hands partially to mild gestures.

"I was sent here at this specific time. Did you notice anything special about the time?"  
"Well, I was supposed to meet you—"

"Oh, for goodness sake, Alice! I thought someone as clever as you would've figured it out by now!" He snapped, before regaining his composure and continuing, "It's 11:11 PM. And do you know what day it is?"  
I shrugged, and replied in as much as an Amber-voice as I could, "Tuesday."

He growled and clenched his fists together. "Alice, this is the _only _time I will ever be able to talk to you in this form, maybe talk to you at all! It is the time of my death, the one and only time I will ever be able to walk on this Earth in human form ever again. You _have_ to pay attention, we only have 30 seconds left."

The reminder of Sibuna and the mystery entered my mind, and I knew I had to do this for them, realizing how important and dangerous this might actually be.

"I'm listening."

He went right along with his speech. "I won't waste my time asking you questions, but I'll get straight to the point-you weren't supposed to come here. It's dangerous. For all of you." He gestured towards Jerome. "Your lives are in danger."

"Tell us something we don't know." I muttered, but he went on as if he hadn't heard me.

"This mystery is up to you guys, and the whole word is depending on you. If you don't win this battle against evil, life as we know it could be threatened. In fact, it _is _threatened.

"You guys were special—chosen. You are all here for a reason, and you can save the world, but _you _have to do it. You can't back out and leave it to somebody else. Each and every one of you needs to be a part. And you have to stop them from taking it from you.

"They're after you. They are plotting against you as we speak. They will do anything, _anything_, to tip the scales their way—and there are more of them then you would expect. You can never trust anybody except for your family. You must rely on each other no matter what—you are all you have."

"I don't get it—" I finally spoke up, "You're not speaking clearly enough, All you're doing is telling me that the world will basically explode if I don't stop that from happening, and you're not even telling me how or why or what or _ANYHTING! _How the HELL do you expect me—_us_—to save the world when we don't even know what we're saving it from or how we're supposed to do it. No pressure on us, or anything!"

"Actually, the opposite." He said. I started to turn around to look at Jerome, when he suddenly took the gentler route, stepping forward and touching my arm, and I felt myself go into that trance again. "You must end all this, once and for all. You have exactly one year to do so. You must gather all the pieces, to destroy and what must be destroyed, and you must never get caught. Never lose another. The 3rd Chosen time will be when you do this, at a specific setting, time and date, where it all began and ends. You must destroy the evil that has tried to take over your life, lift the curse, stop the tipping of the scales, and beware of the black bird! It'll be your time—_your _one time, Alice—to set things right. You can wish for anything. But wish—"

That's when it started. All of a sudden, I couldn't feel his hand on my arm anymore. Just the light touch of a feather, and then nothing. Then he started to glow brighter, a pulsing light, as he slowly leaned away from me.

"Wish what! How are we going to do this! Who are the enemies! What powers! What time! DYLAN!" I screamed, all the emotions I had tried to keep back flooding into me, not able to hold back the urgency to keep him from leaving me. I won't lose him, I won't just stand by and watch, I won't let it happen. No, not again, not again, it can't be, I won't let it happen, I CAN'T!

"Alice!" A voice somehow choked it's way out of his throat, sounding somewhat like a gargle as he reached forward, grasping at me, giving me a shock feeling as he passed through me a couple times before he grabbed a hold of me, dragged me forward and—

There it was.

Those lips.

The lips I had always wanted pressed to mine.

The lips I had been longing to feel for ages.

The lips belonging to the boy who had always been there.

Who is there.

Who I've always wanted.

Who I _do _want?

His laugh, his smile, his care, his everything—

The boy I had fallen in love with and never let go of was here, kissing me.

As an angel—

And then he was gone.

His time was up.

But before he left, I swore I heard something—a muffled murmur, maybe, but I swear it sounded just like those words I've been dying to hear—

"I love you."


End file.
